


Waiting for Nightfall

by saucyminx



Series: Waiting Verse [2]
Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Werewolf, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-03-07
Updated: 2011-03-07
Packaged: 2017-10-28 11:26:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 56,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/307395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saucyminx/pseuds/saucyminx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jared thought becoming Jensen’s mate would be simple, their connection was so strong, nothing could test it. But there were more werewolves outside their pack, and Jared’s about to learn that being the mate of an Alpha male destined to take on the role of lead Alpha isn’t as easy as it should be.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The dip in the road made the van bounce and Jensen blinked his eyes open, turning slightly to look around, trying to determine where they might be. Jared was sprawled across his lap, spread out as much as possible on the bench, his arm curled over Jensen’s legs almost protectively. Jensen couldn’t help smiling and running a handle gently through his hair.

He kept thinking that this had to be a dream, that he couldn’t possibly have kept his Jared for good. He had no idea how long it would take for him to accept this as truth, but that was alright for now.

“Where we at, Christian?” he asked softly, leaning slightly forward to catch the attention of the man in the driver’s seat.

“About an hour out. Should probably wake everyone up,” Christian said over his shoulder and Jensen caught his smile in the rearview.

There was definitely a peaceful air settling over the van and Jensen was pleased about that. He knew having the pack as a whole was going to make things better than good. Jensen wouldn’t be the soul bearer of all leadership decisions, and if for some reason he got out of hand, Jared would be the one to bring him back to reality; Christian and Katie didn’t have to worry so much about that burden anymore.

That and well, they were an hour out from the Ackles farm which was as close to a home as they really got. Until Jared built them their epic house of course, which Jensen was definitely holding him to.

Looking over his shoulder, Jensen laughed softly when his eyes landed on Katie and Sandy who were kissing deeply, clearly lost in each other. He turned back to give them their privacy and fixed his gaze back down on his new mate instead. Soon his family would meet Jared, would accept him as the new member of their family as well, and Jensen would finally be respected as the true Alpha he’d been trying to be since Josh passed away.

“Jared,” he murmured softly and ran his thumb along the shell of Jared’s ear, sliding down over his jaw. “Time to wake up.”

Jared nestled closer to the warm scent of his mate. He heard Jensen's voice - he always heard his mate's voice above all others. But he was warm and safe, _secure_ , and the heady scent of Jensen was wrapped all around him like a blanket. Shaking his head slightly, Jared nosed under the hem of Jensen's t-shirt and pressed his lips to the heated flesh just above his mate's jeans.

Biting back a moan, Jensen closed his eyes and threaded his fingers through Jared’s hair. “I know you don’t want to get up, but I thought you’d like an hour awake before meeting everyone.” He laughed softly but instinct had him shifting forward on his seat slightly, legs falling apart.

Bleary-eyed and yawning, Jared pulled back slightly and peered up at his mate for a few moments, and then rolled slightly and stretched luxuriously across the other man's lap. His spine arched as his body bowed over Jensen’s strong thighs. Glancing up at Jensen again he saw the feral glint in his mate’s eyes and smiled.

Leave it to Jared to already know exactly how to drive Jensen insane. That was something he was still marveling at, the connection between them, the way it felt like they’d known each other as best friends and lovers for all those years they were apart. His hand slid down Jared’s chest, palming over his stomach. He really wished they were alone at the moment so he could enjoy Jared as he wanted to. “Good sleep?”

Narrowing his eyes slightly, Jared breathed deeply. The scent of Jensen’s arousal was strong to him now; the more time they spent together, the easier it was for Jared to sense subtle changes in his mate’s temperament. Sitting up slowly, Jared straddled his mate’s lap and melted forward against his chest. “Mmhmm. Good dream. We were running like crazy,” he murmured. Each word made his lips sweep against the stubble on Jensen’s neck.

Jensen’s arms slid naturally around Jared’s waist and he figured hell, if Katie and Sandy could make out in the backseat, he and Jared could enjoy each other in the middle seat. “Were we running - anywhere specific?” he asked softly, eyes still closed as he tilted up into Jared’s lips. There was the possibility that he was already too easily controlled by Jared but he really didn’t care.

"Mountains," Jared whispered. Jensen's breath was warm and moist and Jared couldn't help but brush their lips together. Ever since Jensen had changed him, Jared felt _so_ connected to the man that it was almost painful to leave his side. The closer he could be to Jensen, the happier they both seemed. "It was snowing and so beautiful and crisp. I've never seen snow at night. I've read about it, how it glistens and sparkles." He spoke between passes of their lips, his words only loud enough for Jensen to hear.

“I’ll show you the snow at night. We’ll run in it, and play in it,” Jensen murmured once more, slipping his hand under the back of Jared’s shirt and sliding over his skin. He wanted to tell Christian to pull over right then and there and get lost because _God_ , he wanted Jared.

“If you two are about to fuck can you warn us? So we can pretend like we don’t see, and or hear you?” Chad’s voice broke through Jensen’s happy little blur and he laughed into the kiss.

A quiet moan of frustration slipped past Jared's lips. Slipping off the side of Jensen's lap, he grinned over his shoulder at Chad. "Shut it, you know if Christian weren't driving you'd be doing _exactly_ the same thing." His fingers lingered in the soft hair at the nape of Jensen's neck.

“I would no-” Chad began but a quiet snort of laughter from Christian had him cutting off sharply and laughing as well. “Alright, yeah. Just ‘cause he drew the short straw and had to drive.”

“He volunteered,” Jensen pointed out, grinning as Chad’s jaw dropped. “He said he didn’t mind.”

Chad punched Christian’s arm, ducking when the man swatted out at him. “You little dick, Jensen drove for months after you first got changed. You remember how it feels.”

Jensen couldn’t help laughing at that even as he pulled Jared closer to his side. Christian was right, he had driven for months, only he hadn’t realized just how strong the connection was and just how crazy it would have made him to be driving now. “You ready for this?” Jensen asked softly, dipping his head down to press a kiss to Jared’s neck.

"On my own? No. With you? Maybe." Jared smiled to cover the flair of nerves in his belly. Heading back to Jensen's original pack, his parents, his _home_ ; it was all a little overwhelming. He brought his lips up to his mate's ear and breathed softly. "What if they don't think I'm good enough?"

“They won’t think that. They’ll know you are more than good enough.” Jensen pulled back an inch or so, his eyes meeting Jared’s. His hand rest on Jared’s jaw and he smiled softly. “They’re going to love you, probably more than they love me.” He had no doubt that his family would adore Jared, if only because the choice of a mate was a serious one, and they would know he was absolutely sure of Jared as his forever partner. “Trust me?”

“Of course.” Jared’s expression changed, the weight of the meeting melting away under the feel of love and trust that seeped through their bond. “I trust you with my life,” he whispered. And, in fact, he had trusted Jensen with his life. The change, being made a wolf and brought into the pack - it had been a huge leap of faith that Jared had taken willingly. Somehow though, coming face to face with Jensen’s lineage felt much weightier.

“Then there’s nothing to worry about,” Jensen breathed and tilted forward to capture Jared’s lips in another soft, lingering kiss.

“Plus, Momma A always makes the _best_ food.” Chad once more shoved his way into the conversation, twisting around and leaning so far forward he was nearly joining their kiss.

Jensen pulled back from Jared and turned to Chad, blinking a few times before looking back at Jared. “Did I mention we will all have separate rooms when we get there?”

Laughing softly, Jared extracted one hand from around Jensen’s body long enough to shove at Chad’s shoulder. “Personal space, Chad.” He turned back to Jensen with a frown, “I thought wolves knew all about territory?”

“I just haven’t made him aware of the territory line yet,” Jensen said with a shrug, glancing over at Chad. “Mainly because we’re still in the van and I’d rather not throw off the easy air. You feel that right? How things are _good_? You should be able to feel the pack dynamics by now.”

Tilting his head slightly, Jared nodded. He felt so many things - almost everything new and different. The sense of _well-being_ was strong; Jared could even feel a slight bite of jealousy from Christian at the attention Chad was paying them. His smile grew and he nodded more firmly, closing his eyes to focus on the feelings that came from his mate. “I feel you most,” he murmured. His cheeks flushed when he realized he’d spoken loud enough for the others to hear him.

“As it should be,” Jensen laughed softly and squeezed his thigh. “And you probably don’t want to focus too much on the other feelings when things are good like this. For instance, the serious _sex_ vibes Katie and Sandy are sending off.” He rolled his lips together to keep from laughing, ducking when Katie chucked something at him.

“Well if you hadn’t rushed us, then we would have gotten it out of our system before the drive,” Katie grumbled, grinning when Jared turned to look at her. “It’s your job now to make sure he’s a lot more fun, you know, keep him sexed up enough that he lets us get away with shit.”

Smiling shyly, Jared duck his gazed down slightly. "You know that you all get away with too much now, and don't deny it." Jared was still testing out his position, feeling the way the others reacted to him, knowing what to go along with and what to stand his ground on.

As he slipped off Jensen’s lap he smiled back at Katie as he extended his hand toward Sandy. When she nodded he stroked Sandy’s hair back off her face and tucked it behind her ear. She seemed to him to be the one who needed the most encouragement and love for some reason. He couldn’t explain it, it was just something he felt.

“You’re right,” Sandy said softly and grinned at Jared, reaching up to touch the inside of his wrist. “Something tells me you’re gonna be all-mighty powerful like Jensen. I know I won’t object to you giving out orders.”

Katie laughed and shook her head, her arm sliding over Sandy’s shoulder. “Oh thanks babe, that makes me feel all warm inside. You know, that you can’t wait for Jared to order you around.”

Jensen glanced over at Jared and smiled softly. “Ah, jealousy, such a sharp feeling isn’t it?”

Smile lingering, Jared leaned back into Jensen’s side. “How long till we get there?”

“Half an hour or so.” Jensen looked back toward the front where Chad had slid across the front bench and tucked against Christian’s side. “My parents will be expecting us, I’m sure they can feel me coming. They don’t know about you yet, though. And just, it’s more than my family’s pack there. So if I step in front of you for any reason just go with it, okay?”

Eyes widening, Jared nodded slowly and unconsciously leaned a little harder against Jensen’s shoulder. It hadn’t occurred to him that it could be dangerous, or that anyone would challenge his position in the pack or Jensen’s choice of mate. “Will we go straight there?” _Or will we have time together?_. In the van full of friendly faces he couldn’t bring himself to sound apprehensive.

“There’s a couple of houses on the lot, but we’ll go to my parent’s home. So you’ll just be meeting them first. Then we’ll go to our room.” Jensen tightened his arm around Jared’s shoulder and squeezed. “I won’t let any harm come to you. Just some people, they’re very obsessive about the pack order.”

“Pack order? Was there... Jensen? Was there ever someone else here?” Jared’s lips were back against the shell of Jensen’s ear. He longed for the stretched out mornings they’d spent lingering in the tent after a night of running wild.

“Someone else where?” Jensen frowned, hands stroking through the hair on the back of Jared’s neck. “It’s been the five of us for a while now. And before that it was just me, Christian and Katie.” He could feel Jared’s nerves seeping off him in waves and he slid his hands down to massage slowly over Jared’s shoulders.

“Someone intended for you. Someone your family thought should be... your mate.” Even thinking about someone else being with Jensen made Jared shiver slightly.

“No, not at all. It doesn’t really work that way.” Jensen shrugged, but then Christian cleared his throat and glanced back at them, and Jensen sighed. “Okay well, I mean, sure my parents were pushing me to mate with a female, to carry on the pack name, you know? But they’re okay with it now.”

“They wanted him to marry Danneel,” Christian said when Jensen didn’t offer more information.

“Christian,” Jensen hissed, instantly silencing the man. When he turned back to Jared he smiled softly. “It wasn’t like that. They were hoping that we would feel the connection of mates but when we clearly didn’t they were disappointed but they got over it.”

“But they don’t know about me, so how do you know they’ll be supportive?” Jared’s breathing sped up a little and he tried to relax. Jensen’s fingers were still rubbing gently along his shoulder and Jared tried to focus on the gentle touch.

“Jared, do you honestly think I didn’t mention you? I’ve been looking for you for years. They just don’t know that I’ve found you.” Jensen wanted to reach out and smack Christian on the back of the head because _Jesus_ , he was trying to keep Jared calm about this whole thing.

"Is _she_ still there?" Jared's brow furrowed.

“I don’t-”

“Jensen,” Christian muttered, testing the limits of Jensen’s patience.

“You are no longer in the role of a substitute beta, Christian, don’t forget that,” Jensen snapped, his words clipped and echoing in the van for a moment. Sighing, he looked back at Jared and dipped his head in a nod. “The last time I spoke with my parents she was still staying in one of the guest houses. But there’s nothing between us, there never has been, okay?”

Even as Jared nodded he wondered what it would be like to meet this Danneel. After all, Jensen _was_ a commanding presence. She must have had _feelings_ for him, even if the two weren’t destined to be a mated pair.

Slumping down a little on the bench Jared turned away to look out the window. The forest was thickening and darkening the road around them. It was almost as though they were disappearing into some kind of fairy tale.

Jensen left Jared to his thoughts because he worried that any more talk would just make things even more complicated. He hadn’t been trying to hide things from Jared, he simply hadn’t even thought of the girl.

After a few minutes Christian turned off the main highway and followed a long winding road that gradually shifted from paved to dirt. He could feel his pack shifting restlessly, all eager to be out in the fresh air, in a place they were comfortable and familiar with. And then there was Jared who felt nervous and a little unsure, and Jensen frowned.

Had he made the wrong choice in bringing Jared here so quickly after the first change?

“We could still turn back,” he said quietly by Jared’s ear, lips pursed in a small frown. “I would if you’re not ready for this.”

Turning quickly, Jared smiled weakly. "I trust you." Threading his fingers through his mate's he gazed down at their hands for a while and then turned back toward the window. Jensen would _never_ let anything happen to him. And Danneel, well, Jared would just have to accept that she was part of the larger pack and deal with it. If Jensen said there was nothing between them, then it was the truth.

“I love you,” Jensen murmured against Jared’s ear, pressing his lips just beneath the lobe. “And I’m going to make sure she knows that, okay?”

“It only matters that I know,” Jared said softly. His breath fogged the window slightly and he lifted a finger to draw a small heart on it. Grinning when Katie laughed, he leaned back into Jensen’s arms.

“To me it matters that she knows that you’re mine and I couldn’t be happier.” Jensen gripped Jared’s jaw and tilted his head back, pressing a forceful kiss hard against his lips.

The last of Jared's reservations melted away; his lips parted quickly, opening up his mouth to his mate. So fast, heat flooded through him and his hips circled slowly. _God_ he wanted Jensen, wanted to lose himself in his all the sensations of his mate's touches, his body.

Jensen moaned into Jared’s mouth, barely resisting the urge to tug his mate into his lap once more. They were almost there - he knew they’d have to meet his parents before they could steal some time for themselves. He wasn’t really looking forward to waiting.

“Alright you two, if you don’t want Jared’s first impression to his new in-laws to be making out like horny teenagers, I’d knock it off,” Katie laughed and tapped Jensen’s arm as the van came to a stop.

Pulling from the kiss, Jensen sighed softly and stroked a hand down Jared’s jaw. “We’ll pick that up later.”

Jared nodded slowly, straightening up and pressing a hand to the cool glass. Everything in his sight was beautiful. There was a large ranch style house in front of them, a sea blue colour with white shutters with warm light coming from all the windows. Jared slid across the seat, nearly climbing over Jensen to see out the other side of the van. There were lots of wooden houses nestled in the trees; one of them even had smoke curling lazily out of the chimney. "Will we have a fireplace?"

“There’s a fireplace in my - our - room, yes. You’re going to love it, I know it. Big window we can leave open as long as you want.” Jensen laughed softly then looked toward the house, smiling at the sight of his parents coming out to greet them. The pack was hanging back obediently though Jensen could feel them itching to get inside. “Go on, go say hi,” he murmured, jerking his head toward the house.

They took off for the front door, tackling his parents in hugs and Jensen laughed as he finally climbed out of the van and turned to Jared, holding out his hand. “For the record, you are the most perfect mate I could have asked for, and I know that already after only one cycle, and that’s all that matters.”

Jared's palm slid across Jensen's as he hopped down out of the van. Slipping in behind Jensen, Jared peered over his mate's shoulder as their pack greeted the Ackles. Jared remembered Jensen's mother from their long-ago meeting - she was still tall and willowy, and looked every bit as young as all those years ago. "She's still so beautiful," Jared whispered against Jensen's hair.

“I know,” Jensen murmured, grinning with excitement. He’d waited so long to bring home a mate to show his parents. He knew everyone had expected it a long time ago, and they’d want to honor both Jared and himself somehow to acknowledge their pack, but Jensen didn’t want to worry Jared about that just yet. “Come on.”

Before Jared could answer Jensen was leading the way toward the house. His parents had sent the rest of the pack inside - likely with the mention of food - and now they were walking down the front steps to meet them. He could feel their interest, their own quiet excitement, and he hoped they didn’t come on too strong.

“Mom, Dad, good to see you.” He hugged them with one arm, keeping his other hand in Jared’s, refusing to let go. When he stepped back he grinned at Jared then back at his parents. “Allow me to introduce my mate, Jared. Jared, these are my parents, Donna and Alan.”

Jared's hands were shaking, his heart pattering around in his chest like he'd been running a marathon. Still clutching Jensen's hand firmly he stepped out from behind him slightly and smiled, ducking his head down. It had only occurred to him in that very moment that he'd no idea if there was a special protocol for him to great Jensen's parents. Dipping his head in a slight bow he stayed a little bit behind Jensen and smiled as warmly as he could manage. "Hello, it's an... honour to meet you. Both of you," he added quickly.

They exchanged a look before laughing and shaking their heads, stepping forward to pull Jared out and hug him tightly. “We’ve been hearing about you for years Jared, I’m just glad you really exist, I was beginning to worry,” Alan said with a laugh as he stepped back.

Jensen rolled his eyes and tugged Jared possessively closer against his side. “Yeah yeah, so funny. Jared, don’t listen to them, they’re not nearly as awesome as they think they are.”

“We are a thousand times more awesome than we think we are,” Donna insisted, still grinning at Jared. “I only vaguely remember meeting you as a little boy. Who would have thought you’d grown up to become Jensen’s mate. How are you feeling, dear? You must be hungry and tired, maybe sore from the change?”

“Mom, lay off the questions,” Jensen laughed nervously, stepping a little in front of Jared as if that would stop them from asking anything more.

"Jensen's been taking good care of me, Ma’am. And, I remember you. You're just as beautiful now as you were then." Jared felt a blush burning on his cheeks. "But I wish you'd have let him stay with me then. I knew, I think - that he was special." Realizing he was probably saying too much, Jared slid his arms around Jensen's waist and pressed up against his back.

“That’s just so sweet. You know I’m a little surprised I didn’t see it myself. Oh well, what’s most important is you boys have each other now.” Donna was beaming so brightly Jensen could almost feel the heat radiating off of her.

Clearing his throat, Jensen threaded his fingers through Jared’s and leaned back against him. “Right, well, I’m exhausted and I’d rather Jared and I have some time to unwind before meeting anyone else. Would that be alright?”

Even though Jensen was an Alpha of his own pack, he would still submit to his father’s wishes, seeing as he was the ultimate leader, the one running the entirety of the Ackles clan. One day that would be Jensen’s role. He wasn’t really looking forward to it.

“Sure, you boys go on inside. We’ll have a nice dinner tonight where Jared can meet some of the others.” Alan nodded, gesturing toward the house.

Jensen grabbed Jared’s hand, smiling at his parents before dragging him off. “You can thank me later for saving you from any sort of interrogation,” he said over his shoulder as he led the way through the front room of the home and to the staircase.

“Is everyone gonna be okay? Sandy was a little nervous today and Chad is too full of energy, will Christian keep him out of trouble?” When Jensen didn’t answer, Jared looked up at his mate to see him smiling. “I worry,” Jared said softly.

“They’ll be okay. It’s not the first time they’ve been here. Sandy gets nervous because of all of the older werewolves or the life-time ones who were born into this, you know? Sometimes they can be a little purist. As far as Chad, I’m quite certain Christian is using up all of his energy.” Jensen smirked and led the way down to the end of the hall, grasping the bronze handle and shoving the door open.

His room was something from which he drew great pride. It was warm and welcoming, with color tones of rich browns, greens, and reds. There was a chaise-lounge with a table on the right side, his desk not far from it; it was the room he’d been building and designing for years. When you traveled so much, Jensen supposed you wanted to be proud of the place you called your own. “So this is it,” Jensen fidgeted, suddenly nervous that Jared wouldn’t like it. “What do you think?”

Jared wandered forward slowly. The instant he had stepped into the room it reminded him of Jensen; it was earthy and warm and he felt more at ease there than he had in days. Sighing happily, Jared threw a smile at Jensen over his shoulder and took a flying leap onto the bed. “I love it!”

Laughing, Jensen shook his head and slipped out of his shoes. “I’m glad,” he murmured, pulling his shirt off a moment later. “No shoes on the bed mister,” he ordered and grinned at Jared, crossing the room to reach him.

Kicking his boots off, Jared wriggled further back on the bed. “Can we just stay in here for the entire visit?”

Jensen hummed and climbed onto the bed, crawling his way across the mattress until he was over Jared. “Maybe not the entire visit but a good lot of it? After all, we _are_ what wolves consider newlyweds and we need our honeymoon time.” Jensen laughed softly, dipping down so he could nose his way along Jared’s shirt, pushing it up his belly.

Jared’s fingers slid through Jensen’s hair and he blew out a long breath. “Newlyweds, I like that.” Jensen’s lips slid briefly over the skin just beside Jared’s belly button and his hips twisted with pleasure. The warm air Jensen breathed out was tickling his skin and Jared’s lips tugged into a slight smile.

“They’ll publicly recognize that,” Jensen murmured, letting his lips drag open along Jared’s abs and further up. “Us being newlyweds, so to speak. It’s kind of an official thing.” Yeah, he was trying to distract Jared as he told him this news, to make it sound less important than it was. His lips traced the curve of Jared’s ribs, a soft moan falling from him.

“Official?” Jared’s stomach tightened slightly, even as Jensen’s mouth sucked softly at the flesh just below his nipple. “Ohh,” Jared breathed. ‘Official’ sounded like something that he wasn’t going to like - but Jensen’s lips, his tongue and... _God_ , his mate was distracting.

“Just a little dinner, in celebration,” Jensen breathed before his tongue slid out and ran over Jared’s nipple, circling slowly and dragging up between his teeth. “It’s not a big deal,” he murmured and finally let his hands run up along Jared’s side, catching the shirt under his mate’s armpits and dragging it up over his head and off of his arms.

A moan slipped past Jared's lips before he even realized it. "Celebration," he echoed when he could finally find words. "Do I have to say anything or - _oh God_ \- can I. Can I just hide behind you?" His skin was on fire - everywhere Jensen touched him there was a tingling trail of nerves.

“Gotta prove you’re beta material, Jared,” Jensen laughed softly, sucking along Jared’s neck, then kissing up to his earlobe. “According to tradition, you’ll one day be the second in the entire Ackles clan, kind of like my Queen.” Jensen pulled back to grin down at Jared, rolling their hips purposefully together. “You’ll be just fine,” he insisted, a little breathlessly.

As their hips ground together, Jared's lashes fluttered closed and his hands slid down to palm the flexing muscles under Jensen's shirt.

"Prove?“ Jared didn't like the sound of that word. A fiery burst of pleasure shot down his spine when Jensen's mouth latched onto Jared's Adam's apple and he writhed slowly.

“Don’t worry, you don’t have to fight someone or anything,” Jensen murmured through a chuckle and kissed his way back down Jared’s body, his hands traveling to Jared’s waistline. As he flicked the button free he pulled Jared’s nipple up between his teeth, soothing the bite a moment later. “Just can’t show fear, gotta be brave,” he whispered, working over the other nipple as he dragged the zipper down.

Each clip of the zipper sent a shiver down Jared’s body. His mind was soaring, endorphins racing through his system as the scent of his mate swirled around him. _Everything_ was so different now that they were mated. “You-” a moan broke his voice and Jared’s entire body twisted to the side for a moment as he struggled to focus. “Is someone... gonna bite me?” His fingers swept unconsciously over the bite mark on his neck - he was so proud to have it and knew that he’d broken with tradition asking Jensen to mark him in such a visible place.

Jensen growled without thought, his hands tightening on Jared’s jeans. “I would _never_ allow another to bite you.” The words were deep and thick, Jensen’s eyes closing as he struggled against the possessive flare Jared’s question burned through him. Then in one swift movement he slid back and tugged at Jared’s jeans, catching his mate’s briefs at the same time, leaving Jared naked beneath him. “You are _mine_.”

The words brought Jared's body up off the bed instinctively so he could nuzzle along his mate's jaw. The scent of Jensen's arousal, _their_ arousal was thick between them and a tremble slithered down Jared's body as he inhaled slow, deep breaths.

His bare flesh pebbled as he rubbed up against the soft material of Jensen’s shirt, the rougher cotton of his jeans. “Only yours, always,” Jared murmured.

Rolling to the side, Jensen quickly pulled his clothes off, nearly desperate to feel Jared’s naked body beneath his. “Everyone will know who you belong to,” Jensen murmured, kissing his way along the still slightly fresh marks from his teeth. “We won’t have individual scents anymore, it will be just _ours_. We’ll never be alone again.” He groaned softly as he rocked his cock slowly along Jared’s, the pleasure nearly maddening in its slow intensity.

Jared _knew_ what that meant to his mate. Even though Jared had known an unnamed longing his entire life, for Jensen it had been far more intense. Jensen had _sensed_ Jared, _known_ that his mate was out there and spent years trying to find him. With one more rub of hard flesh against harder flesh, Jared's thoughts fled and he curled his hand over the back of his mate's neck. Pressing Jensen closer, urging him toward the bite mark, he moaned softly.

Jensen tasted every inch of the mark he’d left on Jared, softly biting over it and moaning whenever it caused Jared to jerk up toward him. “Mine,” he murmured once more, rolling his hips down harder. It never felt like they’d be close enough, that he would have his fill of Jared, and that was the absolute best thing. “God, Jared,” he groaned against Jared’s ear, finally tilting over to kiss him deeply.

Jared's body was tingling with _want_ ; every part of him was arching up as though pulled closer to Jensen's body, his heat. Moaning into the wet heat of his mate's mouth, Jared tugged at him, nails scratching sharply over Jensen's back.

He broke from the kiss reluctantly and stared up into Jensen's eyes. His mate's gaze was fierce with passion, with want, and Jared squirmed slightly, rolling so he was face down and pressing his ass up against the swollen flesh of Jensen's arousal.

“God,” Jensen groaned, and dipped down to press a long lingering kiss at the top of Jared’s spine. He stretched across the bed to the nightstand, relieved that this was his room and he knew exactly where everything was.

He didn’t bother prepping Jared because it really hadn’t been that long and well, he knew they both liked just a little dash of pain to their fucking. Plus, the way Jared was writhing so needily up against him was too much for him to take.

Lining himself up behind Jared, Jensen slipped an arm around his middle and lifted him off the bed as he thrust forward and down in one swift motion. Jared was a tight heat consuming him, a maddening pressure pulling him in further and tugging low moans from his lips. “Fuck, you’re amazing.”

Jared's fingers curled into the heavy brocade of the quilt beneath him and he cried out softly. A brief pain-pleasure seared through him, burning its way through to his core. He had never wanted anyone like he wanted Jensen, _wanted_ him like he _wanted_ air. Instead of making him feel needy or weak, Jared's heart pulsed with pride, lust, love, and a thousand other amazing emotions and feelings. He _belonged_ to Jensen.

His next moan was louder and Jared arched his back gracefully to draw Jensen's flesh deep within him. Words failed him and he growled softly, turning his head slightly to try and see his mate.

Jensen’s hips pulled back until he was just barely hovering at Jared’s entrance, and then he was slamming back in, his entire body shuddering from the wave of pleasure. His arm around Jared’s middle slid up to his chest, pulling to drag him completely up to his hands and knees. Hips continuing to move, Jensen tugged Jared up and half twisted him, straining forward to capture his mate’s lips in a long, deep kiss.

Each thrust was maddening and Jared found himself rocking back to slam hard against his mate. He could never get enough of Jensen, the heat and fullness, the stretch and burn that _always_ faded so quickly to a mind-numbing pleasure. Jared lapped at the corner of Jensen's mouth and then bit down hard on his mate's full bottom lip.

Another deep, sharp growl tore through Jensen and he pushed Jared back down onto the bed, pressing his palm flat on the base of his spine and holding him against the mattress as he fucked harder and faster into him. The overwhelming desire, the always pressing need to be deeper, to feel _more_ , was driving him insane. He slammed forward with sharp quick thrusts, aiming for that spot that he knew would make Jared cry out in the best way.

Jared's body was shaking, every part of him straining against the weight and press of his mate. His arms stretched up high above his head and he gripped the edge of the huge mattress, trying to stifle his cries by pressing his face down into the quilt.

Then his vision was blurring as his body bucked and writhed beneath Jensen's. Wild, and feeling about as close to insane with pleasure as he could be, Jared almost screamed as thrust after thrust hit the center of his pleasure. His orgasm sparked to life so quickly he barely had time to suck in a breath and he was coming, his ass clenched tight around his mate's flesh and Jared's heart skipped a few beats.

There would never be anything as wonderful as watching Jared fall apart. Jensen blinked bleary-eyed down at the writhing man and then everything tightened around him and his eyes snapped shut. Half a dozen still-hard thrusts later his own orgasm tore through him, hips driving up hard against Jared’s body until he was collapsing on top of him.

For a few moments he could barely breathe. Then the world stopped spinning so badly and he gently pulled free from Jared, helping him down under the blankets and instantly sliding up to press flush against his mate’s back. “You’re so perfect,” he murmured, lips pressing to Jared’s shoulder.

Instead of trying to speak Jared rolled into Jensen's embrace and nuzzled into his mate's neck. Nowhere was better than being in Jensen's arms. As his heart beat slowly returned to normal Jared sucked and kissed lazily at Jensen's neck, smiling when Jensen moaned softly.

“I love you,” Jensen murmured gently, finally relaxing against Jared. When they were out in the woods, or simply traveling, part of him was always extra aware and alert. Now he could savor the peace of this home and the fact that it could really be just Jared and himself. “Gonna sleep for day.”

“Good,” Jared whispered, “we can skip the proving me thing.” He smirked and nestled closer.

“Keep dreaming,” Jensen muttered with a soft laugh, his hand stroking down Jared’s back. “You happy to be here?” he asked quietly, part of him wondering if all of this had happened so fast that Jared might regret it one day.

"Feels like home," Jared said sleepily. "I do miss one thing though..."

“Misha?” Jensen guessed, smiling slightly at the thought.

“Yeah, and how jealous he makes you.” Jared grinned as he tried to lighten the moment. Misha’s friendship was important to him and really, one of the only things he regretted having to leave behind. Knowing they would be back to see him helped but it still saddened him a little.

“Remember that first night when he came home? And I was in his bedroom?” Jared grinned and sucked his way along Jensen’s shoulder.

“Of course I do, I’ve never been more jealous of a person,” Jensen huffed softly, closing his eyes as Jared’s lips moved along his skin. “We’ll go see him soon, after this, I promise.”

“Mmm, I know.” Jared’s lashes fell to his cheeks and he sank down into the soft mattress. “I love your bed,” he mumbled.

“Lucky bed,” Jensen laughed quietly, keeping his eyes closed and tugging Jared a little closer.

“You too,” Jared said through gentle laughter. “I love you, too.”

“Relax,” Jensen murmured softly as they headed down the staircase, Jared clutching to his side so hard it was nearly painful. And a fair bit amusing. “Jared, it’s just a few people, and you’ve already met and pleased the ones that really matter, okay? You’re gonna be fine.” He stopped at the bottom step and turned to Jared, stopping him from running his hand through his hair yet again. “If it seriously becomes too much we’ll go early, okay? But really, this should be completely normal.”

"It's too much, let's go," Jared said quickly. He tugged on Jensen’s sleeve and took a step back toward the stairs. Jared had been nervous enough around Jensen’s small pack at first. Now the idea of meeting his entire family _unit_ was a little overwhelming.

“Hey, come on.” Jensen grabbed Jared’s hand and pulled him back. “Christian, Chad, Sandy and Katie will be there, we’ll sit by them. You can even sit by Chad if you want, then you won’t have to worry about not having someone to talk to. Remember that he had to do this, and Sandy, too. Yeah it’s a little more intense with you but I love you, and that’s really all that matters.” Jensen smiled softly at Jared, trying to be as soothing as he possibly could.

Rolling his lips together, Jared frowned and leaned in to whisper, "you're lucky I love you." Huffing softly, he straightened up and tugged at the collar of the dress shirt he'd felt he needed to wear. Jensen was wearing a green button down shirt that almost matched his eyes and Jared was momentarily distracted by how devastatingly gorgeous his mate was. _Jared_ was the lucky one.

Swallowing around the _huge_ lump in his throat, Jared stepped closer to the dining room door. "Okay. M'ready as I'll ever be."

Laughing softly, Jensen took Jared’s hand once more. “You make it sound like we’re about to beat you and-”

“Jensen!” The call of his name had him cutting off mid-sentence and Jensen turned just in time to get an armful of a thin, tall brunette. “God, look at you.”

He laughed and hugged the girl, dropping Jared’s hand to push her back slightly. “Look at me? Look at _you_. God, Danneel, do you even eat?”

She laughed as well and flipped her hair over her shoulder, lifting her hands and spinning in a circle to show off her figure. “I eat as much as I always did. I just know how to make it go to the right places.” She smacked her ass to illustrate her point and smirked at him. “And you? Sure seems like you’re keeping fit.”

“Nah, I was just born this way.” Jensen shrugged and grinned at her, pleased to see her after so long. Then he felt something rather unpleasant curl in his chest and he looked to his side, his mouth parting with the wave of guilt. Talk about a bad time to get caught up in the joy of seeing an old friend. “Danni, I want you to meet someone.” He grabbed Jared’s hand and dragged him close. “This is Jared, my mate.”

Danneel’s eyes widened slightly and she slapped Jensen’s arm. “Mate? God! You don’t ever tell me anything. Jared, it’s nice to meet you. You must be amazing to have snagged Jensen up.”

Jared had been completely unprepared for the way jealousy rose in him like a storm. His fingers curled into his palms so tightly that the nails dug in and he huffed quietly before stepping closer to Jensen and hooking two fingers into his mate's front pants pocket. "You'd have to be a complete fool to pass up being with someone like Jensen," Jared said firmly.

“Well clearly. We all know what an amazing catch he is.” She reached out once more, pretending to brush something off of Jensen’s shoulder.

Clearing his throat, Jensen stepped a little closer to Jared and smiled at the girl. “And you? Still no mate?”

“What can I say, Jensen? The boy I wanted managed to get away from me.” She smiled sadly at him before laughing. “It’s just so good to see you, seriously.” Once more she stepped forward and gave Jensen a slightly awkward half hug, kissing his cheek. “You need to visit more. And of course I want to learn all about you, Jared.”

Jared's blood was racing around his veins so fast he felt a little dizzy. Turning into Jensen's body he draped his arm round his mate's neck and pressed his palm flat against Jensen's chest. "All you need to know about me is that _I'm_ his mate," Jared said softly. If she touched Jensen again, Jared wasn’t going to be responsible for what he did.

Jensen could _feel_ the burn of jealously coursing through Jared and he shifted to wrap his arm around his mate’s middle, pressing him close to try and ease some of that tension. “I just changed Jared at the last full moon,” Jensen said to Danneel, giving her a look that clearly said, _and he isn’t afraid to lay claim to what’s his_.

Her smile fell slightly and she nodded, stepping back. “I see, well I’m glad you found each other. Though I have to admit Jensen, I think you’re rather brave.”

“Why?” Jensen asked, rubbing his hand in slow circles on Jared’s back.

“Well, you’re going to lead the Ackles clan one day and you haven’t mated with a pure blood - that’s breaking hundreds of years of tradition. Not to mention the obvious,” Danneel waved toward Jared. “Lack of children, heirs and so on.”

Jensen’s shoulders tensed and he turned to fully face the girl, half stepping in front of Jared. “Are you questioning my choice in a mate? Because I wouldn’t think you’re in any position to lay judge on a superior.”

The underlying threat he laced his words with was enough to have Danneel stepping back again, her eyes wide. “Sorry, I guess I got- anyway. Nice to see you’re still an asshole sometimes, too.” With that she turned and disappeared around the corner.

Jensen sighed and rubbed his brow, slowly turning to face Jared. “Sorry, that went... not so good.”

"She should show some respect," Jared muttered. His eyes widened when he realized the words had just seemed appropriate without him even thinking about it. At least he had a valid reason to dislike Danneel rather than it just being instinct. "We're a pack now, we... well, and she should have been respectful." Jared nodded firmly, feeling as though he had a bit more confidence than he previously thought.

“You’re right, she should have.” Jensen nodded, frowning as he considered whether anyone else in his family might feel the same way Danneel did. Not that she was family, technically, but she was part of the clan through a few marriages and he could have dismissed it to her being bitter about things not working between them, but now he wasn’t so sure. “I want to be made aware if you hear any other talk like that, okay? Those sorts of thoughts can break clans, and they need to be addressed.”

“Is it important? Having an heir? Because...I mean...” Jared lowered his forehead to Jensen’s shoulder, wondering what other surprises would be in store for him.

“No.” Jensen said, though he wasn’t sure how true that was. After all, outside his sister, he was the only child left in his family. And since his sister would likely mate with a male of another pack, her children would be part of a different clan. Unless she chose a human that she changed but Jensen didn’t want to put pressure like that on her. “Don’t worry about it,” he insisted quietly and took Jared’s hand again, leading him toward the dining room.

He introduced Jared to his Aunt and Uncle and cousins, smiling slightly as they assaulted him with a million and one questions. His eyes slid around the room, noting Danneel speaking quietly with her father - a man that would never take the head of the clan though he’d always greedily eyed it - and frowned. He didn’t like the way this was looking.

His eyes caught Christian’s across the room and he lifted a hand, gesturing toward him. The man instantly crossed the room, stepping up to Jensen’s side. “What’s up?” He asked quietly, clearly picking up on Jensen’s unease.

“Tell my Dad I’d like to speak with him after we eat. I want you and Katie to be there, too.” Jensen didn’t include Chad and Sandy in the invitation and that had Christian’s eyes widening slightly. “Go on,” Jensen said firmly, letting the order ring clear.

“Alright,” Christian nodded, glancing toward Jared for a moment before turning and heading back across the dining room.

Turning back to Jared and his family, Jensen’s smile was just slightly forced and he squeezed Jared’s hand at the worried look he got. “Excuse us Uncle Dave, there’s a few other people I want Jared to meet before food is ready.” Jensen waited for Jared to say it was nice to meet them before pulling him away.

“You’re worried,” Jared said through a forced smile. “What’s going on?” There was an undercurrent that Jared could sense - nerves, tension, and it was a little disconcerting.

“I just think sometimes people want a certain thing, and when they don’t get to have it, they’ll start coming up with other ways to get it,” Jensen said, maybe a little cryptically. His hand fell to the small of Jared’s back and he stopped, turning into his mate and dipping forward to whisper in his ear. To anyone else it would look like a private moment between two new lovers and that was what he was going for. “Keep smiling. You see who Danneel is speaking to? That’s her father. He’s been trying to inch his way up the chain of command for years now and I’m worried that they think they’ve found an _in_.”

Jared nodded slowly, eyes not stopping as they swept around the room to take in a quick snapshot of the man Danneel was speaking to. Tilting his head slightly, Jared softly said, “because you can’t have an heir.”

“Right. Without an heir, the Ackles line ends at me.” Jensen had never even considered those little details. His life had always just been about Jared and the pursuit of him, not the repercussions of being gay. “We’ll speak with my dad about it after we eat, there has to be a solution.”

“Aren’t we going to talk about it together? Just our pack?” Jared was still smiling as he nodded a greeting to another person he’d never seen before. It came so naturally to think of Jensen’s pack as _their_ pack.

“We will but this affects him and I need to talk to him about it first. Christian and Katie will be there. I’ll leave it up to you whether you want to come with or stay with Chad and Sandy. Then we’ll discuss it as a pack.” Jensen led them to the table, stopping beside his chair and looking up toward Jared.

“Chad and Sandy are part of the pack too,” Jared said quietly. Out of habit he dropped his gaze and pulled Jensen’s chair out for him without even thinking.

“They are but they’re not ones to make authoritative decisions and neither have grown up as wolves - they don’t understand clan dynamics and explaining it would take longer than simply discussing with my father.” Jensen slowly took his seat and turned to watch Jared sit beside him. “It’s not like I want to exclude them, I just feel it would be better if the situation could be explained to them later. My dad doesn’t have the patience for listening to all the explanations anymore.”

Staring over at Jensen for a few moments Jared frowned. “Okay, then I’ll stay with them. I’m young too, and even though I’m their beta, I’m still learning just like they are. I don’t want them to think their opinion isn’t valued.” Sniffing, Jared turned to the table and stared down at all the silverware and place mats. It certainly seemed like more than _just_ a friendly dinner.

Jensen sighed and shook his head, looking away. It was petty of him but he was a little annoyed that he and Jared weren’t allowed to just have the lovey dovey first few months of their bonding like all the other werewolves, just because he had to be responsible and all that shit. Jared should be touching his thigh under the table or something, not making him feel guilty just because he had to make the tough decisions about things.

“Smile,” Jared whispered.

“I’d rather not, thank you,” Jensen whispered back, relieved to see his father come into the room. The sooner they got this dinner over with the better.


	2. Chapter 2

Alan cleared his throat as he stepped up to the head of the table, warm smile on his lips. “It’s such a pleasure to have you all here to welcome back my eldest son and his pack. For those of you who didn’t get a chance to meet him, the man sitting beside Jensen is his new mate, Jared. We’re very pleased to welcome you to our family Jared, and we toast to you and Jensen’s new happiness.”

It felt weird to fake a smile, considering the uneasy tension that he’d created - even though at least part of it felt real at his dad’s kind words.He should have kept his thoughts to himself and spoken to his dad in private. There was a good chance he was the worse Alpha out there.

“Now let’s all enjoy some of my wife’s wonderful cooking. She’s really outdone herself this time,” Alan laughed as he took his seat, reaching out for the large platter of ham.

Quiet conversation started as the platter was passed around to each Alpha of the couples. Even Danneel was served by her father and Jensen idly wondered if it was odd through Jared’s eyes, seeing so many people obeying standards and practices that were just second nature to Jensen. His eyes caught Danneel for a moment and she smiled like she knew a secret. Jensen looked away, grabbing the platter of ham as it was handed to him.

“How hungry are you?” he asked Jared quietly, stabbing at some of the meat and placing it on his plate.

“Hungry - did the ham offend you?” Jared smiled, amused at the way Jensen was attacking the meat. Leaning in slightly, he nosed at Jensen’s jaw as soon as he noticed Danneel looking. “If she knows she annoyed you, she wins,” he said softly.

“She hasn’t annoyed me,” Jensen pointed out and dropped two pieces of ham onto Jared’s plate, turning to give him a wide, completely fake smile. “Save room for the potatoes darling, we grow them here and they’re delicious.”

Laughing softly, Jared slid his fingers over Jensen's thigh and squeezed. He watched the food moving around the table and waited until Jensen had another platter in his hands before whispering against his ear. "I want you to fuck me outside tonight."

Heat crawled through Jensen and he bit his lip, hands tightening on the bowl of potatoes he was just handed. “I think that can be arranged,” he muttered quietly, scooping a large spoonful of potatoes onto Jared’s plate.

Nodding, Jared looked down at his plate then back up at his mate’s cheeks. “You’re a little flushed,” he said quietly, fingers sliding higher on his mate’s muscular thigh.

“Was just thinking about how nice Danneel is looking.” Jensen glanced over at him, a smirk tugging at his lips. “Green beans?”

"Oh?" Jared's fingers loosened and slid up to press against his mate's crotch. "I hate green beans," Jared murmured. His hand rubbed slowly, teasingly at the growing bulge in Jensen's jeans. _Danneel_ could just piss off as far as Jared was concerned. "Bet she can't make you feel like this," Jared whispered.

Jensen swallowed thickly as he passed on the green beans and took the rolls instead. He placed one on both of their plates and looked over at Jared, knowing his eyes had to be dark with arousal. “You realize I’m going to punish you for this behavior later, right?” He wet his lips and gave in slightly, leaning forward to brush his lips over Jared’s.

Jared's eyes widened slightly then narrowed when he thought about how much _fun_ punishment could be. "Uh huh," he said softly against his mates lips. His chair jostled as Chad shifted behind him and Jared groaned. "Bull in a china shop," he muttered under his breath.

“I’m sorry, do you have something to say to me?” Chad hissed, poking Jared in the side.

“Don’t even start you two,” Jensen rolled his eyes and grasped the bottle of wine that was being passed around. “Jared, wine?”

“Yes please,” he said. Kicking out at Chad’s foot, Jared grinned and flicked his hair back off of his forehead.

He couldn't focus on anything; there were so many new faces, voices whispering, laughter. It was like a huge family gathering with an undercurrent of excited expectation. Jared’s stomach knotted up again as he glanced over at Danneel and she smiled back at him.

“So, Jared, what is it that you do? Did you have a job before my son came in and swept you away?” Alan asked as he settled into his meal, giving Jared a warm and interested smile.

Jensen grabbed his fork and slid his hand to Jared’s thigh under the table, squeezing reassuringly. He knew his dad would be asking Jared some questions, testing in his own sort of way.

Swallowing the bit of bread he had just taken, Jared looked over at Mr. Ackles. "Yes, Sir. I'm a ... well, I'm an architect. I've been working freelance mostly so I was hoping that I could maybe still do that sometimes. Take on some projects here and there. And I have an idea for a house for our pack." Jared glanced up quickly. "For Jensen's pack." Snapping his mouth closed, Jared dropped his hands to his lap.

Alan laughed and dipped his head in a nod. “Just as much your pack and that sounds really good. I’ve been telling Jensen for years that he needed to settle the group down somewhere, but of course he wouldn’t even think about getting a home somewhere until he found you.”

“Dad,” Jensen laughed and shook his head. “You’re gonna make me sound like a creepy stalker.” Turning to Jared, Jensen smiled softly. “I wasn’t that big of a stalker.”

“Bull, from the moment we finished a cycle until the next cycle started again we’d be driving, following the scent.” Christian said, causing most everyone listening to laugh.

“I’m not sure if there’s a person at this table that hasn’t heard the name Jared mentioned at least once,” Donna added, beaming at her son.

Jensen groaned and rubbed at his face with his palm. “Great, you guys really know how to make a person feel creepy.”

Jared’s smiled widened and he looked over at Donna. “Do you remember when I met you in the park? I went home that night and told my mama that I met someone really special. My whole life I’ve spoken about Jensen.” Jared noticed the table had gone a little quieter and he looked up nervously. “I knew, then.”

“I do remember. You were a very brave little boy being at that park all alone.” Donna smiled softly at him, her eyes sparkling with warmth. “I can’t imagine anyone better for my boy; he loved you before he even really knew you.”

“And you won’t miss the grandchildren?” a man at the end of the table called out, Danneel’s father Marcus, and Jensen wasn’t fooled by the man’s smile for one moment.

Donna’s smile faded slightly, her eyes drifting over to Alan than back. “I’m certain Mackenzie will have children.”

“Well Mackenzie won’t be an Ackles at that point, will she?” Marcus pointed out around a sip of wine, his expression far too pleased.

“Nothing you have to worry about Marcus, the Ackles name won’t be ending for quite some time,” Alan said, voice firm and clipped, telling everyone that the subject was no longer to be discussed. “Jared, how did your family feel about this?”

“My...” Jared glanced over at Jensen then back at Alan. “I didn’t tell my family. My father is involved in security in the city, the fences that keep people secure after curfew. After discussing it with Jensen I realized that it would put the pack in jeopardy if we - if I told him. I lied. I said that I was going on a long trip.” Jared shrugged. “But I really miss my friend Misha.”

Jared smiled at Alan then curled his fingers over his mate’s. “Misha is really supportive. I think he’s a little envious of the way Jensen feels about me.” Jared’s cheeks burned hot under the scrutiny of everyone at the table. “The way he takes care of me,” Jared added softly.

“Well I’m pleased to hear my son has been doing his duty,” Alan nodded, giving Jensen a proud smile that made everything in him feel warm. “And Jared, it seems like you’re going to make an excellent beta. Just talking with the rest of the pack today they’re already speaking your praises.”

Jensen laughed softly and rubbed the back of Jared’s neck. “All this praise is gonna go straight to his head, careful; I’ve got to live with the man.”

Jared smiled broadly and took a deep breath before blowing it out with some of the tension that had settled into his body. “Well, Sir. This is my family now. I’m very lucky.” His knee was pressed against Jensen’s and he heard Chad’s soft laughter. “Even the annoying ones,” he muttered.

“I heard that,” Chad shot back then flushed and dropped down in his seat, sinking lower. “Sorry.”

Alan’s brows rose and Christian laughed. “I know, but I don’t try to control him. It’s much more entertaining to watch him put his foot in his mouth.”

“I do have to admit it’s amusing. Girls, you’ve been rather quiet tonight.” Alan looked over at Katie and Sandy, his smile still warm. “What do you think of Jared?”

“Well I wouldn’t want to be stuck behind him in a movie theatre,” Sandy muttered, fork stabbing into the potatoes. “But he’s tolerable.”

Blinking, Jared looked up at Sandy with his mouth open until he saw the twinkle in her eyes. She was so shy that even here her head was lowered and she peered out from under her long dark hair. "Oh Sandy," Jared said softly as he pressed his hand over his heart. "If I didn't know better I'd be so hurt." Winking at her, Jared tried not to smile.

“Oh don’t worry Jared, I’m constantly reminding Sandy of all the reasons she wants to be with me so she doesn’t go and try to seduce you away from Jensen,” Katie insisted with a soft sigh even as her hand settled over Sandy’s arm, fingers stroking softly. “I’m sure Jensen is constantly doing the same, you know, since you’re such a great catch and all.”

Grinning, Jared turned to smile at his mate. “Jensen knows he doesn’t have a _single_ thing to worry about.” Slipping his arm around his mate’s neck, Jared kissed the corner of Jensen’s mouth gently.

“I would hope not,” Jensen murmured, turning into the kiss. Their noses bumped together and Jensen smiled softly into the gentle kiss. “You’re doing great,” he murmured, his fingers coming up to brush along Jared’s neck.

Humming quietly Jared buried his face in Jensen’s neck and breathed in deeply.

Arm wrapping around Jared, Jensen tilted just slightly to the side and saw Danneel’s pursed lips, then turned back to Jared, kissing his jaw.

As dinner was cleared away Jensen stood, meeting the gaze of Katie than Christian before turning to his mate. “Well, I guess I’ll see you later, then?”

Hesitating, Jared looked around. “Jensen? This is one of those times I could use help. Should I be with you?” Stepping into his mate Jared pressed up against him, fingers slipping along the smooth cotton of Jensen’s shirt.

Sighing softly, Jensen considered where Jared’s place would be best for the pack as a whole, and tried not to let his own selfish desires weigh in his decision. “I think Chad and Sandy might be worried about this meeting, especially since they’re not included. Maybe you could explain things to them? You at least get what the concern is. I promise when we’re done talking to my dad you and I will discuss things and then we’ll talk as a pack. Does that sound alright?”

“Of course,” Jared agreed. Stepping back slowly he nodded over at Chad and watched until the other man was heading over to retrieve Sandy. “Where should we wait?”

“Any room in the house is fine. Maybe Chad and Sandy can show you around inside? Since we didn’t do a tour?” Jensen caught Jared’s hand and squeezed softly. “You’re okay with this, right?” There was a definite unease settling over him but Jensen wasn’t so sure what it belonged to.

"Yeah," he said quietly. "It will gives us _young’uns_ some time together. Come and find us soon." Walking backwards a few steps, Jared smiled and ran a hand through his hair.

“I will.” Jensen nodded, smiling at Jared a moment longer before turning and heading through the kitchen.

“Something we should be worried about?” Chad asked quietly as he stepped up to Jared’s side, watching Jensen disappear. “Christian wouldn’t say anything.”

“It’s a bit tricky. Hey, let’s walk and talk.” Jared slung an arm over Chad’s shoulders. “Jensen said you two could give me a tour.”

“Well yeah we know-”

“Hey Jared,” Danneel stepped in front of them, smile growing on her lips. “Good to see you’re so very friendly with your pack.” She looked over at Chad for a moment before looking back at Jared. “Any idea where Jensen is? I figured since you’re so busy with Chad here, he’d have some time to chat, catch up and all.”

Jared narrowed his gaze and reached out for Sandy’s hand, twining their fingers together. “We _are_ very close, Danneel. That’s what happens when you’re part of a pack. It’s funny that you don’t already know that.” Pulling his pack mates forward, Jared smiled coldly at her. “And Jensen’s busy, he’s meeting with his father.”

“Well I’ll just wait for him, have a good night,” she called over her shoulder, heading through the kitchen.

“That girl could turn hell to ice with a look,” Chad muttered, slipping his arm around Jared’s middle. “She’s got a real vendetta against Jensen, just so you know.”

“I think that’s part of what’s going on. She was remarking earlier that we’ll never have children and Jensen’s bloodline will end. Do you think she’s angry that... that things didn’t work out between the two of them?” Jared pulled his friends closer and they moved down the hallway.

“Of course she is,” Sandy huffed, looking up over at Jared with a _duh_ expression. “Think about it Jared, how many good qualities can you list about Jensen? Those are all the things she didn’t get. Not to mention the absolutely plush life; the Ackles family is worth millions, so she’s not gonna throw you a parade.”

Chad snorted and shook his head. “Wow Sandy, clearly you’re a big fan of her.”

“She’s not a pleasant person. She was horrible to Katie and I the first time we met until she realized we were mates.”

“Well, I think now she has her sights set on her family running things,” Jared sighed. He almost wished it was time for another change, a run under the moonlight rather than being inside dealing with all the politics. “Jensen said they’ll come and talk to us after they talk to his father.”

“Oh?” Sandy pursed her lips, looking over at Chad and away. “I’m sure it’s just a coincidence.”

“Yeah he’s always changing up his style,” Chad agreed, slipping out from under Jared’s arm. “So you want to see the game room?”

Jared stared at Chad then turned back to Sandy. “Wait, what’s the coincidence? What’s going on?”

“You tell him,” Sandy said quickly, punch Chad’s arm.

“No, you tell him.” Chad didn’t smack her back but he scowled at her, scrunching his face up and sticking his tongue out at her.

“You know more about it,” Sandy insisted, arms sliding across her chest.

“Shut up, it involved you just as much. We were all involved.” Chad mimicked the cross of his arms over his own chest, both scowling at each other.

“Enough!” Jared scowled, and then his expression softened when he saw Sandy flinch. “Sandy, what’s going on?”

“It’s just, if Jensen really wanted advice he’d just talk to his dad, you know? He wouldn’t bring Christian and Katie with him. Which means he’s already made up his mind. He has an idea.” Sandy shrugged, looking down at her feet. “He’s done this before.”

“An idea? When did he do this before?” Jared suddenly felt like he really didn’t know Jensen as well as he should.

“Oh it was nothing major. I mean, there were some vampires in Kentucky, we heard rumors about them finding ways over the fences and we weren’t sure if we should go to help or not. Jensen called a meeting with his dad, Christian, and Katie and when they came out Christian said Jensen had already made up his mind, he just wanted to make sure the other Alphas were okay with it.” Chad scratched at his arm and smiled at Jared. “Hey it’s not so bad, that means he has an idea about how to deal with Danneel, that’s good, right?”

“He said that he’d come and talk to us about it, though. Maybe they haven’t made a decision yet.” Jared’s forehead wrinkled as he thought about the way Jensen always said that his opinion was important.

“Yeah they probably haven’t,” Sandy nodded quickly, taking Jared’s hand. “Come on, let’s do the tour thing and not think about it for a while, okay?”

Jared let himself be pulled down the hallway but his thoughts were on Jensen and the decisions that they might face. He hoped that Jensen was prepared to hear him out later because Jared had some of his own ideas about their future.

There were certain times when Jensen felt the burden of being the Alpha of his pack and the future clan leader of the Ackles family and this was undoubtedly one of those times. He’d give anything to just pull Jared away from all this madness and enjoy a full night with no commitments, no decisions besides what position to try next, that would be the ideal life. But it wasn’t his, and he couldn’t just ignore his responsibilities.

Jared, Chad, and Sandy where laughing when they entered the room and Jensen smiled softly, even as the noise faded off as the Alpha’s were spotted. He felt Christian’s hand on his shoulder as he slipped past him and Katie’s pat on his back. Both went to join their mates and Jensen held his hand out for Jared, a silent request for him to come over.

Pushing off the wall he’d been leaning against Jared strode across the room and smiled as he leaned in to press his lips to Jensen’s. “You know,” he said softly, “that’s the longest we’ve been apart since you changed me.” His heart felt a little lighter now that Jensen was back in the same room as him.

“I know and I didn’t like a single moment of it,” Jensen murmured, sliding his arm around Jared’s waist to pull him in close. “Let’s not do it again, okay?” For a moment he ignored all the pressure and responsibilities and leaned against Jared, slumping against his chest and letting his mate hold him up.

Rubbing his hands on Jensen's back, Jared smiled into his mate's hair. "No argument from me. Chad and Sandy will be glad you're all back," he said softly. The stress and tension from the senior members of the pack was thick in the room and Jared shivered unconsciously.

“And are you glad we’re all back?” Jensen asked softly, pulling back slowly and staring up at Jared. “Did you guys have a good time?”

"We looked around at things, talked a lot. I wouldn't say we had a _good_ time, it's not like we can't sense the tension." His fingers slid across Jensen's cheek as he spoke and Jared, once more, felt the weight of Jensen's worries and responsibilities.

“We need to talk and you can decide if you would like us to talk privately first or if we’re just gonna do the group conversation,” Jensen sighed, hand sliding down Jared’s chest. He yawned and covered it with a hand over his mouth, smiling at Jared a moment later. “If we ever have a normal night I’m gonna be shocked.”

“Let’s talk together, all of us,” Jared said. “You could probably use an early night and some extra love from your mate.” Grinning, Jared leaned down to kiss Jensen’s temple. Tugging on his mate he pulled him over to the comfortable couch and sank down.

“Alright,” Jensen cleared his throat, looking down at Jared on the couch, never really knowing where to begin when it came to group meetings like this. “Okay well, Sandy and Chad, I’m sure Jared filled you in on some of the details of what’s going on. You both already know some of how Marcus Harris has been eyeing the clan leader position; apparently they seem to think that me mating with Jared is a perfect in, considering the lack of heir and all.”

Frowning, Jensen finally dropped down onto the couch beside Jared, keeping his eyes on the rest of his pack and avoiding Jared’s. Just for the moment. “So, well, the obvious solution to put an end to all of this would be for me to have an heir. It would have to be a direct bloodline, meaning Ackles, meaning... I’d have to...”

“Knock up a girl?” Christian offered, maybe not as helpful as he thought he was being.

“Thanks, Christian,” Jensen growled, swallowing thickly then turning to look over at Jared.

A lot of ideas had occurred to Jared but Jensen having to actually _get_ someone pregnant hadn’t even entered into his thoughts. “But...that’s-” Jared cleared his throat and pulled his feet up onto the couch. Wrapping his arms round his knees he pulled them close to his chest. “Wow.”

“I wouldn’t actually have to sleep with the girl,” Jensen said quickly, his hand reaching out for Jared but falling short. “I mean, there’s ways around that nowadays. But it would mean we would have a child to raise. All of us really, the child would be the only one in our pack and we’d all take part in some of the raising. Which is why we would all have to be on the same page.”

Jensen turned back to Jared and inhaled slowly, finally reaching out to touch his arm. “And if you’re not okay with it, any of you, then we will discuss other options.”

“Well, I hadn’t thought about the whole _bloodline_ part of it.” Jared pressed his lips together for a few moments. “What do we do? How... I mean, do you have to find the right woman and change her? How do you even start to do this?” Jared’s mind was spinning a little.

“We’d have to make some choices, that’s for sure.” Jensen nodded slowly, taking his hand back.

“No changing,” Christian interjected, shaking his head. “You would have to choose someone who is already a werewolf.”

“Well what about Katie?” Chad suggested, shrugging when everyone looked at him. “I mean, it makes sense right? She’s already here.”

“I couldn’t possibly; it would upset the whole balance of things. And I’m an Alpha, Alphas don’t get pregnant.” Katie shook her head quickly, lips pursing. “I have no desire to carry a child, not even for you Jensen, no offense.”

“None taken,” Jensen laughed softly and looked over at Jared, trying to gauge how he felt about things. “Jared?”

Jared had been a little lost in his thoughts and glanced up at his name. "I ... I guess it's something you need to do. I just don't know about all this - I mean you can't just expect Katie to do something like this, Chad. With all due respect Christian, maybe changing someone Jensen finds...well, someone who is compatible _is_ the answer."

Even though he was trying to appear calm, Jared's stomach was knotted with worry. It was difficult to imagine Jensen having a child with a woman; it was difficult to know that he wasn't able to be the mate Jensen needed. Resting his chin on his knees, Jared stared down at the carpet. "Whatever you decide, Jensen. I'll support you."

Jensen felt a little sick, feeling the wave of colliding emotions coming off Jared. He didn’t know what he could say to make it better, hell, he wasn’t even sure there was anything that could be said.

“He can’t change someone,” Chad protested, shaking his head. “Seriously, think about how fucked up that is. Oh hey, I’m gonna turn you into a werewolf so you can carry my baby but I’m never going to love you and you’re gonna have to live the rest of your life like that, oh and you’ll be the only one without a mate in a pack of a bunch of queers.”

“Chad,” Christian groaned, smacking his mate on the back of the head.

“He’s got a point though, as much as it pains me to admit it,” Katie added, frowning at the idea. “It would be really unfair to do that to any woman.”

“And so you have to choose another already-turned girl. Someone that’s not Danneel,” Christian nearly growled the name, his opinion clear in the word.

“I’ll do it.”

“We could always-” Katie cut off mid-sentence as the small voice finally made an impact. Everyone turned to Sandy at once but it was Katie who spoke first. “Sandy?”

“I’ll do it,” Sandy repeated, clearing her throat and shifting forward slightly. “I know I’m, you know, not anything special, I don’t have any powers or...” Sandy laughed shakily. “Well not powers, but you know. I do have the girl bits, I’m already part of the pack, and you know I won’t be falling for Jensen at any random point.”

Jensen was a little shocked. He hadn’t even considered Sandy as a possibility, maybe because Katie had been so against the idea of carrying the baby herself, but now that he did, she was the perfect candidate for it. “Wow, Sandy, thank you. I mean, for even offering. Of course I’d have to, well, Katie? How do you feel about it?”

Katie tore her gaze away from her mate, looking at Jensen for a moment before looking back at Sandy. “You are everything special. Sandy, you’re the most important part of this pack,” her voice caught on the words and she wrapped her arms around Sandy, pulling her in for a hard kiss.

Looking away, Jensen once more turned to his mate, frowning slightly. “What do you think?”

Jared blinked away tears as he watched Katie and Sandy. "I think Sandy is one of the most special people I've ever met," Jared said softly. Dragging the back of his hand across his face he looked over at Jensen for a few moments, blinked slowly then turned back to the women. "If Sandy is willing to do something like that, I think it would be wonderful. She would be the best parent of us all, I think."

“Well,” Jensen nodded slowly, glancing at Katie and Sandy for a moment before once more looking away. Sometimes when he watched the way those girls were together, or even the way Chad and Christian were together, Jensen thought he could never be that way. Like he was broken or something, unable to show affection so openly, but that could have just been the moment. “Katie, Sandy, if you both agree to it and everything it means, then that’s what we’ll do.”

“There’s a lot of things to consider.” Christian cleared his throat and when Jensen looked over he could see Chad slumping against his mate’s shoulder, curling against him. “If Sandy was pregnant she couldn’t change, which means Katie would likely never leave her side. Then there’s the whole thing about getting Sandy pregnant in the first place.”

“We can leave the details for now,” Jensen suggested, pushing up to his feet. “Girls, why don’t you take the night to discuss it - Katie, I’m sure you were taught all of the things a pregnant wolf has to go through, you can cover all of that. It’s late, we’ve had a long few days, let’s call it a night.”

“But what-”

“Not now, Chad,” Jensen held up a hand to stop Chad, shaking his head. “Save it for tomorrow.” He pushed a hand up through his hair and turned to Jared. “Ready?”

Jared dropped his feet to the floor and pushed up off the couch. He was confused, tired and everything in his mind was going at about a hundred miles an hour. Padding over to Katie and Sandy he held out his hands and when Katie nodded slipped his arms around Sandy to pull her into a tight embrace. “You are _so_ special, no matter what you decide, okay?”

“Thanks Jared,” Sandy whispered, wrapping her arms around him and hugging tightly.

Something clenched painfully around Jensen’s heart and he turned, surprised by how _bad_ he felt that he hadn’t been quick to reassure her himself. Why didn’t he tell Sandy she was amazing? Why was he being forced to make the decision to have a child like it was some political move? Jensen didn’t even _want_ a kid. And suddenly being in the room with his pack was too much; Jensen knew Jared would track him down, he just had to get out of there.

“You okay?” Sandy asked as she pulled back, patting his cheek softly.

Jared watched his mate leave and smiled shakily at Sandy. “Yeah, it’ll be okay. We’ve all got each other, right?” Walking back toward the door Jared nodded at Christian, “I’m gonna go find-” he gestured at the door behind him. He could feel the strangest mixture of emotions from his mate and all he could think about was getting to him.

The wall collided hard with Jensen’s shoulder and he was fairly certain he was only hurting himself because he was struggling to breathe. He shoved the back door open and nearly ran out into the fresh air, inhaling deeply and digging hands up into his hair. This was not the time for him to lose control, in fact it was probably the _worst_ time, but he suddenly had the strongest desire to just take Jared and run from all of this.

It wasn’t hard for Jared to find Jensen. He just focused on his mate and let himself follow the gnarled up feelings flowing down the bond. Pushing the back door open, Jared stepped outside into the cool evening air. “Hey,” he said softly.

Jensen knew Jared was going to find him, sooner rather than later, but it didn’t make it any easier to face him. “Hey,” he whispered, keeping his gaze fixed on the open field.

Jared headed over to his mate and stopped just out of reach. He wasn’t sure if Jensen wanted to be touched, or wanted _Jared_ touching him. “What are you lookin’ at?”

“All this,” Jensen jerked his head out, closing his eyes as something bitter curled in the pit of his stomach. “It’s gonna be mine. Like the fuckin’ Lion King. All the land I can see, it’s all mine, or it will be. And I don’t have a choice, I have to take it.” He wrapped his arms tight across his chest, annoyed with himself for sounding so much like a child.

A frown creased Jared's forehead and he stepped a little closer, then reached out to press his hand to his mate's back. "You love this place," he said quietly.

“I don’t want to be the one to make all the decisions.” Jensen turned to Jared, looking up at him with wide, watery eyes. “I never asked for this, you know? I wasn’t born to be the Alpha, to lead the clan, that wasn’t my purpose. All I want is you; I don’t want all this other stuff. I don’t want a kid. I just want to show the world I love you and not make any decision more complicated than what color shirt to wear.” He knew he was all over the place but it felt more than important to say everything he was thinking right _then_.

“Jensen, I know you love me, that’s all that matters.” Jared slid his hands over his mate’s hips and leaned in closer. “And you’re a natural at this, you really are. People look up to you; Chad and Sandy always talk about you with a little bit of awe in their voices.” Jared didn’t want to admit that he felt that way himself sometimes.

Shoulders slumping, Jensen slowly nodded and looked away, blowing out a low breath. “You’re right, sorry. Guess I just got a bit crazy. It’s fine. Let’s go back inside.” Jensen didn’t feel much better but maybe he simply needed a night to sleep on it. He’d get over it; it wasn’t like this was the first time he’d wanted to escape the fate he’d been given.

“You’re lying. It’s not fine.” Jared stood his ground, ducking his head down to try and catch Jensen’s eye. “What can I do?” He didn’t know all the rules, and sometimes felt like he was doing everything wrong but he loved the man in front of him so much it made his heart ache to see him so troubled.

“Sadly, there’s nothing that can be done.” Jensen sighed and shook his head. “This is my life, this is what I have to do. I’m sorry Jared, I’m sure you never thought that this was the life you would be getting into.” He frowned, laying his hand on Jared’s chest.

“Sorry?” Jared frowned and stepped back slightly. “I’m not sorry at all. You’re amazing, and you’ve given me this family of wonderful people and they all love me. I don’t know how you can be sorry for that. Yeah, maybe things are harder for you and me but...it doesn’t have to be. We can... we can work together, you don’t have to bear all the responsibility anymore.”

Stepping closer again, Jared twined his fingers through his mate’s. “Isn’t that what beta’s do? Aren’t I supposed to help you?”

“You do help me. Already. You’re so natural at it, I don’t think you even know. Jared, the kid thing, you were willing to go with ‘just whatever’ even though I could _feel_ how it hurt you. And with Sandy, with everyone, you make them feel so special. You’re amazing.” Jensen squeezed Jared’s hand and smiled softly up at him. “I couldn’t have chosen a better mate.”

"Then it's a good thing you found me again," Jared said softly. His lips tugged into a soft smile and he wrapped his arms around his mate to pull him close against his chest. "It only hurts because I wish I could be everything to you," he almost whispered. He was afraid to even say it out loud because it sounded weak.

“You _are_ everything. Jared - this kid thing, it’s all a matter of circumstance. If Josh hadn’t died, well it just changed everything. Before, when we first met? Even then we were destined to be together, and kids weren’t going to come into the picture.” Jensen reached up with his free hand and cupped Jared’s jaw. “But you know what? It’s okay. Because Sandy will do this, she’s amazing like that, and we’ll raise the child as a pack. He or she is going to be so lucky, they’ll have four daddies and two mommies and they’ll probably be the most spoiled kid ever.”

“How come you’re not always … how come you don’t-” Jared shook his head and leaned into Jensen’s touch. “We should go inside. You look exhausted.”

“What? Tell me,” Jensen gripped Jared’s wrist. “How come I’m not always what?” He squeezed Jared’s wrist a little harder, encouraging him to say more.

"Well, sometimes, like at dinner, you touch me. And then other times, you don't. I felt... I felt a little alone in there." Dropping his gaze, Jared closed his eyes for a few moments. It wasn't that he doubted how Jensen felt but there were times when he felt a little removed from his mate.

“Oh.” Jensen frowned, releasing Jared’s wrist. Now he almost wished he hadn’t pressed because Jared’s words confirmed what he feared. “I guess I feel like I should act a certain way? Maybe if they saw how soft I could be, maybe it would be harder for them to take me seriously?”

"Oh," Jared answered. "I hadn't thought of it that way." Smiling slightly, he looked up and rubbed at the spot on his wrist that was still warm from Jensen's touch. "There's no one here now," he whispered. His heart felt heavy, as the weight of his mate's responsibilities were pressing down on them both. Jared knew exactly why Jensen resented some of his life, it was a huge responsibility and now - there would be even more.

“I’ll be better about it. After all, they’re our family; if they can show affection with each other in front of us then it shouldn’t matter.” Jensen curved his fingers over Jared’s waist, slipping his fingers under his shirt to run along his skin. “You know Jared, you come before all of them. I know it’s not exactly the best thing to say but, I would give them, all of this, _everything_ up for you. Okay?”

Jared's smile softened and he kissed Jensen gently. "I'd never make you do that, that's why I'm here. That's why I have this." His fingers hooked over his collar and tugged it down to reveal the bite mark. "You know, showing affection doesn't make you seem any weaker or anything. I think it's the opposite..."

“I’m still learning, how to be the leader.” Jensen sighed softly, thumb running over the imprint of teeth marks on Jared’s skin. “People say I’m a natural but I fight for it, I force myself to be a certain way. Otherwise I’d probably act more like Chad.” Jensen snorted, looking up at Jared. “Okay, maybe not quite like Chad, but still. You want to know a secret?”

“Of course I do.” Jared’s smile finally reached his eyes and he leaned back enough that he could see Jensen’s face clearly.

“When we met that second time, at the beach, I thought it was fate. And every single part of me wanted to just take you away right then and there. I was so close to doing it that night; I would have just put you in my jeep and driven off with you. I had this grand plan in my mind, how we’d live in the woods, find an abandoned cabin, make love under the stars every night.” Jensen sighed wistfully, smile tugging on his lips. “Would have been great.”

“I would have gone,” Jared said breathlessly. Sometimes, Jensen did that to him, took away all his air with the way he loved him. And Jared knew that he wouldn’t have hesitated to go with Jensen all those years ago. “I wanted you that night, you know. Wanted more than that sweet kiss you gave me.”

“I know. I could smell your arousal.” Jensen smirked, his fingers slipping down along the back of Jared’s jeans. “You were pulsing with it, and I knew that I could have done anything I wanted to you and you would have been eager for it. Not sure how I managed to resist.”

Just thinking about that night made Jared's heart beat faster. The ocean would always remind him of that night, Jensen's arms around him and the way Jared had just _known_ that Jensen was _his_. Wetting his lips, Jared leaned hard against Jensen's chest and nosed his way along his mate's cheek and into his hair. Unable to keep his eyes open he smiled and flicked his tongue along the curve of Jensen's ear. "I believe you promised to punish me tonight."

“Just as I promised to fuck you outside,” Jensen murmured, sliding his hand down to cup Jared’s ass and squeeze. “Come on, I know a place that’s just secluded enough and I can fuck you up against a tree.” Jensen laughed softly, relieved with how much _better_ he felt. “Thanks,” he added softly as he led Jared across the yard.

"Gotta keep you in line," Jared teased. He squeezed Jensen's hand and smiled warmly at his mate. "How far are we going?"

“Just over there,” Jensen pointed to a grove of trees not that far off in the field. “Obligations aside, what do you think of the kid thing, really? I mean, I never even asked if you wanted kids before.”

"I never thought about it, but if it secures your place as our leader then I'm for it. I'm sure we'll all have something to contribute, you know. It could work." He smiled again, walking as close to Jensen as he could. Looking up at the night sky he took a deep breath of the crisp night air.

“And well, the kid’s gonna be pretty good looking.” Jensen smirked slightly with the words, bumping into Jared’s side. “Probably gonna have Sandy’s dark hair, my green eyes, and he’ll be the right side of shy and assertive. And I know you, you’ll spoil him.”

“What makes you think that?” Jared turned to walk backwards, still holding Jensen’s hand. The lights of the house had been swallowed up by the trees and Jared was pretty convinced that they were far enough away.

“Because you spoil me, you spoil the girls, hell you even spoil Chad when Christian isn’t looking.” Jensen laughed and turned suddenly, grabbing Jared’s wrist and spinning him so that his back collided hard with the trunk of a large oak tree. “You’ll make an excellent dad,” Jensen murmured before crushing his lips against Jared’s. His hands were already questing under his clothing.

Jared's entire body came alive under Jensen's touch. His mate's words still swirling around in his mind, all he could do was moan into the kiss, his fingers threading through Jensen's hair. The bark was rough under Jared's back and he shifted restlessly, then hooked his leg around Jensen's, forcing his mate closer.

Using the strength he hardly ever showed off to his advantage, Jensen dug his fingers hard into Jared’s ass and lifted him, pressing him back against the tree trunk as his mate’s other leg wrapped around his middle. He tore back from the kiss and worked his lips over Jared’s neck, biting at his mark slowly. He let Jared slip down enough that his cock was rubbing against Jared’s jean-clad ass and the friction was maddening.

"Jesus _Christ_ ," Jared hissed. No matter how many times Jensen manhandled him, Jared never ceased to be overwhelmed with how hot it was. Rolling his hips forward, Jared tightened his arms and legs around his mate. He moaned softly and licked his way along Jensen's lips until his mate took his mouth again, rough and fierce with a passion that stole Jared's breath once more.

As their lips moved roughly together, Jensen slid his hand between their tightly-pressed bodies, rubbing the heel of his palm over Jared’s strained jeans. He knew that one day their sex wouldn’t always be so fast and desperate but that certainly wasn’t now, not when Jensen was so _needy_ for Jared. He fumbled and pulled until he could get the button free and roughly tugged the zipper down. “Fuck, I want you,” he growled into the kiss, hand shoving roughly inside Jared’s jeans.

Jared's hands clawed at Jensen's back, then tugged roughly at the buttons on his mate's shirt until he felt the material give and could get his hands on bare skin. A tremble ran the length of his body as Jensen's warm fingers gripped his cock. Moaning, Jared threw his head back and dropped his legs slowly, sliding teasingly down the front of his mate's body.

He rocked his hips forward, grinding against Jensen's hand to bring some relief. "Please," he whispered. Just the mere _thought_ of Jensen fucking him made Jared's knees weaken. "Jensen, I need you."

“Could listen to you say that for hours,” Jensen murmured, imagining when things would slow down enough that he could tease Jared for as long as he wanted, until the man was a writhing, begging, needy mess. Now though, Jared was basically already at that level and Jensen didn’t want to wait any longer.

“Turn around,” he instructed softly, shoving at Jared’s jeans and boxers until they fell to the ground. “Lean against the tree and spread your legs.” Just saying it made his body all hot and flushed and he rubbed himself through his jeans roughly.

Jared's eyes narrowed and he smirked softly. The cool night air flooding over his skin revived him slightly, took the edge off of his desire. Licking his lips, he pulled one foot free from his jeans, panting. "What if I don't turn around?"

Growling low in his throat, Jensen flicked his button free and dragged the zipper down. “If you don’t turn around then I’ll just fuck your mouth instead and you can really be punished - I won’t allow you to get off.” Jensen shoved at his boxers and pulled his cock free, stroking it slowly. “Not gonna object to fucking your mouth.”

Jared stared at Jensen defiantly until his eyes drifted down to his mate's cock. The swollen flesh was sliding through Jensen's loose fist and Jared could practically taste it. His gaze lingered for a few moments and he ran his thumb along his bottom lip. Looking back up, he saw how dark Jensen's eyes were, the way his shoulders were squared. The dominance was so clear, so present and sent shivers skittering down Jared's flesh.

Sinking slowly to his knees, Jared swayed forward until his cheek rubbed against his mate's wrist. Just the slightest turn of his head and his lips were ghosting over the heat of Jensen's arousal. The earthy scent of their surroundings mingled with the musky odor of Jensen's body and Jared moaned.

“Oh fuck,” Jensen groaned, his fingers sliding back to curve along the back of Jared’s skull. He hadn’t expected Jared to willingly just drop to his knees, right here in the middle of the forested area, but _God_ he was glad he did. Because just the faintest touches of his mate’s mouth over his skin was enough to have him rocking forward.

“You love this don’t you?” Jensen asked, voice deep and thick as he pulled Jared back with a sharp tug on his hair. “You love when I control you.” That was hotter than it should be, knowing how much Jared enjoyed it, and he gripped himself with his free hand, running the smear of pre-come over Jared’s lips.

Jared whimpered and then gasped for air. As he strained against Jensen's hold Jared gazed up at his mate. His tongue darted out to lap up the taste of come on his lip and his lashes fluttered closed as the bitter spice of it reached his taste buds. "Yes," he whispered grudgingly.

He strained forward until Jensen’s grip on his hair hurt and then Jared simply moaned louder. One hand curled over Jensen’s hip, the other daring to slide ever-so-slowly up the flesh of Jensen’s inner thigh.

“Open your lips,” Jensen murmured, staring down, completely transfixed by the image of his cock sliding past Jared’s lips. “ _Fuck_ , you’re so gorgeous.” He groaned and bit down hard on his lip, slowly rocking a little further in. He didn’t want to push it too far, he wasn’t even sure he knew how much Jared could take. His hips rocked slowly forward and deeper then pulled back, his knees almost buckling with the slam of pleasure and lust that crashed through him.

Jensen's cock was hot, the flesh like velvet and Jared sucked greedily until the other man slid deeper. He swirled his tongue around his mate's cock, sucking and lapping, fingers digging _hard_ into Jensen's muscles. A moan rumbled low in his chest as the tip of Jensen's shaft bumped the back of his throat. Jared sucked in air quickly through his nose and relaxed his throat, swallowing his mate deeper.

His body was on fire. Jared's hips circled slowly as he curled his hand around the base of his mate's cock. Squeezing hard he moaned when he was rewarded with another burst of pre-come.

The hand in Jared’s hair tightened and Jensen held him in place as he withdrew completely and rocked his hips harder, faster. It hurt to breathe, and Jensen began to pant, his lungs aching as he sucked in cool air and lost himself in constant moans of his lover’s name. The feel of Jared’s tongue on his skin, the pulsing heat, and the way Jared only moaned as if he could imagine nothing better was enough to drive him insane.

“God, your mouth,” Jensen groaned and thrust just a little harder, a little faster, forcing himself to remain aware enough that he could stop if it became too much.

Jared could barely breathe and he didn't care. He _wanted_ Jensen. Slipping his fingers lower, he cupped his mate's balls and rolled them hard between his fingers. Jensen's hips jolted forward and Jared choked slightly but gripped Jensen's hip tighter, holding him there. _Giving in_.

“ _Fuck_ ,” Jensen groaned, losing the last of his self-control. He couldn’t help it, Jared was simply too much for him to handle. His hips snapped hard into Jared’s mouth and his orgasm hit him before he even had the chance to warn Jared. Instead, he tugged on his mate’s hair, pulling him back enough that he wouldn’t choke but staying buried so that Jared wouldn’t miss a drop.

At the first heated splash of come against the back of his throat, Jared shuddered. It was a full body shudder, heat and lust twining around him and nearly sending him out of his mind. Lapping and sucking, he made sure that he swallowed every drop of his mate's release; the pulsing flesh was hot and heavy on his tongue and Jared keened softly.

When he finally pulled back, he gazed up at Jensen for a moment then licked along his softening flesh. Jared's entire body was shaking, his own cock hard and aching - so full that it hurt.

Finally, Jared sank down onto his heels and blinked up at his mate before leaning forward to collapse against Jensen’s hip.

“God, Jared,” Jensen whispered, surprised he was still managing to stand. He slowly sank down to the ground, hands sliding along Jared’s body. “That was so good,” he said through a soft moan, stroking over Jared’s cock because it looked like the man might lose it if he didn’t get some relief sometime soon.

Jared's lashes fluttered closed and he whimpered unashamedly. There was nothing better than pleasing Jensen, _nothing_. Just the slightest touch, the rough palm against his aching flesh and Jared's entire body jolted as he came. Clinging to Jensen, mouthing his way across his mate's chest and up his neck, Jared moaned as his come pulsed out between them. “S-sorry,” he whispered as his body shuddered.

“God, no,” Jensen shook his head, bringing his palm up to lick off the smears of Jared’s come. “That was almost as fucking hot as you on your knees. Love that just getting me off gets you that way.” Jensen kissed him deeply, thrusting his tongue hard into Jared’s mouth and tasting every inch of him.

Jared let Jensen hold him up, his arms wrapped so tight that Jared could barely breathe. Exhausted, body aching, Jared's nails raked down his mate’s back and even as dazed and weak as he was he could smell the blood that he drew. A low moan filled his ears and it was a few long moments before Jared realized he'd made the sound.

He sucked hard on Jensen's tongue, lips moving urgently against Jensen's until he finally needed to withdraw and suck in a deep breath of night air. "God," he murmured.

“You’ve completely blown my mind,” Jensen murmured in return, drawing back and running his hands through Jared’s hair. “Think you can walk back to the house?”

“Need a ... min’,” Jared muttered. He couldn’t help laughing quietly and slumped down in Jensen’s arms and buried his face in the crook of his mate’s neck.

Humming softly, Jensen lay back on the grass and pulled Jared close to him. He loved how rough and fucked out Jared’s voice sounded, the way his hair was ruffled from his hands digging into it. Jensen tightened his arms around Jared’s middle and chuckled softly. “Can you imagine if Danneel saw us?” That would teach her to mind her own business.

“Hope she did,” Jared mumbled. He stared up at Jensen’s profile as he slowly came back to his senses. Jensen was more relaxed, more grounded, Jared could feel it. Sliding his hand up and down Jensen’s chest, Jared smiled. “I made you feel better,” he said quietly.

“Mmhmm, much better,” Jensen hummed the words, turning to kiss Jared’s brow. “You let me just _fuck your mouth_ ,” Jensen mumbled, honestly a little surprised at the level of trust Jared had in him, though he trusted his mate just as much.

“And that surprises you?” Jared laughed again.

“Guess I didn’t realize just how much you liked me being in control. We’re gonna explore that further when I can feel my legs again,” Jensen laughed and tugged Jared across his chest. “Let’s make out until you think you can walk up to the house.”

“Mmm, okay.” Jared stretched up to press his lips to Jensen’s.


	3. Chapter 3

Jensen was relieved when they stepped into the dining room for breakfast and realized that it was just the family present. Meaning exclusively the rest of their pack and Jensen’s parents. He didn’t have the energy to deal with anyone else at the moment.

Breaking usual standard, Jensen pulled the chair back for Jared, touching his arm and smiling warmly at him. Jared gave him a curious look before settling down in his chair and Jensen took the seat beside him.

“So Jensen, Sandy and I-” Katie began but Jensen held up a hand, shaking his head slowly.

“I need coffee first, and food. We’ll all discuss this after breakfast, okay?” He smiled at her to soften the words, then gratefully took the offered coffee pot from his father and poured some for both Jared and himself.

Fixing up Jared’s coffee wasn’t essential but Jensen did it anyway, scooping in sugar before sliding it over to Jared. His mate turned to say something - probably thank you - but Jensen just took the opportunity to kiss him softy.

Turning back to the food, Jensen half-listened to Christian telling Alan about the vampires in Jared’s home town. That was another thing they’d have to address. For the moment though, Jensen was too busy putting butter and jam on a piece of toast and handing it to Jared, dishing out some scrambled eggs for him a moment later, then snagging a few pieces of bacon.

“Figured you might be hungrier than usual,” Jensen said quietly, laying his hand over Jared’s arm and squeezing softly. “You know, because we’ve been working so hard.” Which was to say that after the blow job in the forest Jensen had taken Jared back to the room and slowly thrust into him for an hour straight, the longest they’d ever lasted together.

Then not even an hour ago Jensen had woken Jared by scooting up to his back side and slowly easing himself into his lover. If this was what the honeymoon phase entailed, he could support that.

“I was giving some thought to dealing with the vampires when we returned to see Misha,” Jensen added in Christian’s pause, letting his leg fall to the side so it rested on Jared’s knee. He turned to look at his mate and smiled. “We gotta make sure the town is safe.”

Jared’s body was still buzzing a little - he’d been riding a constant wave of pleasure since the previous night. At the touch of Jensen’s knee, Jared turned to look at him, realizing he wasn’t really paying attention. “Misha,” he echoed.

Sighing happily, Jared pulled his mug towards him and hesitated only a moment before leaning into Jensen’s side. “Vampires,” he muttered. He didn’t have the fondest memories of vampires after his initial encounters with them.

“Apparently, my mate is a little less than coherent this morning,” Jensen murmured around his own mug of coffee, trying and failing to swallow down his smirk.

“Oh I wonder why that could be,” Christian laughed and shook his head, handing Chad a piece of toast. “Late night, maybe?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Jensen said as innocently as he could manage, turning to nuzzle along the top of Jared’s head. His lips slid down until he was tracing the curve of Jared’s earlobe. “You gonna make it today?”

“Uh huh.” Jared turned quickly toward Jensen and caught his mate’s lips in a gentle kiss. Shivering slightly at the lingering pleasure that still swirled in his body he laughed softly and shifted a little closer. “Vampires, Misha, I got it.”

“Mmhmm,” Jensen hummed softly and wrapped his arms around Jared. Suddenly, the space separating them seemed too great and Jensen dragged Jared out of his chair and onto his lap. He settled back into his seat with Jared slumped on his chest and gently stroked his back. “Sorry,” he whispered against Jared’s ear, “just keep thinking about you on my lap, like this morning.”

Jared felt his cheeks flush and smiled crookedly. "Kind of hard to forget," he said softly. Wriggling slightly, he got comfortable and curled his fingers into the front of Jensen's shirt. Sandy giggled quietly and when Jared glanced up, he realized everyone was staring; Chad was smirking and Katie was gazing across the table at them. "What?"

“Just uh, you two are kind of...” Chad waved toward them, a laugh falling from his lips a moment later. “You know.”

“I think it’s sweet,” Katie insisted, grinning at them. “Good to know Jensen can be so sweet and loving.”

“You honestly doubted?” Jensen asked with raised eyebrows. “You don’t think I’m ordering Jared around in bed do you? Oh, well...” Jensen laughed and smirked when Chad looked his way.

“Oh Jared, I _so_ knew you were kinky like that,” Chad grinned, ducking against Christian’s body when his mate reached out for him.

The heat on Jared's cheeks increased and he tried to hide his smile by biting down on his bottom lip for a few moments. Shrugging a shoulder he sighed again. "M'not kinky," he protested weakly. "Anyway, aren't we supposed to be talking about _vampires_ and not our sex life?"

“I like the sex life talk a lot more,” Chad insisted, shifting closer to Christian’s side.

“Of course you do,” Christian laughed and ruffled his hair. “You and Jared can compare notes later on. Jensen, I wanted to go over some strategy plans. If we could be back in Jared’s town by the full moon, we could fight them in wolf form and that would be the best. And clearly it must be done before any child thing happens; we would need Katie and Sandy to fight.”

“I think we can make it by the full moon. Christian, you want to work on the plans some more this afternoon? After you’ve had the chance to develop them further?” Jensen liked the idea of giving Christian some responsibility, especially when it came to fighting things; Christian had a good head for that sort of thing.

And he smiled now, as if he were proud of the opportunity. “Yeah okay, I’ll have something set up to show you this afternoon.”

Jensen laughed softly as Christian turned to Chad and murmured something in his ear that made him grin and nod. His nose slid along Jared’s jaw and he inhaled his mate’s rich scent. “Got plans for after breakfast?” He asked quietly, tucking his hand between Jared’s legs.

Jared's heart thumped faster as Jensen's fingers squeezed his thigh. "Just you," he said softly. "I mean, not _you_ , well, being with you. Doing... whatever you want," he finished quickly. Jensen was going to be the death of him.

“Have I ever mentioned that I find it really hot when you get all stuttery?” Jensen murmured, his hand sliding further up between Jared’s legs. “Makes me want to do things right here, screw everyone else,” he laughed softly and pressed his lips to Jared’s neck.

Jared blew out a soft breath and licked his lips as his lashes fluttered closed. "Right here," he echoed quietly. Turning his body into Jensen's he slid his hand up his mate's chest and curled long fingers around the back of the other man's neck. "We should... go for a walk or something," he whispered against Jensen's hair.

“Or something,” Jensen agreed, not sure if he’d be able to resist getting his hands all over Jared any longer. Clearing his throat, he pushed the chair back and slid Jared off his lap, standing a moment later. “Well, Jared and I have- we’re going on a walk. We’ll catch up with you guys later.”

“Enjoy your _walk_.” Chad drew out the word, his lips growing in a wide smirk.

Swaying slightly toward his mate, Jared grinned and waved dismissively at Chad. The sound of Chad’s laughter was amusing and Jared bumped his shoulder against Jensen’s as they headed out of the dining room. “See? You made them happy. So you should probably touch me all the time.” It was impossible to keep the innocent expression on his face for very long.

“Oh yeah, clearly being affectionate with you is what it takes to make the entire pack happy.” Jensen laughed softly and guided Jared up the stairs to their room. “Gonna show you a good time,” he murmured with a smirk and squeezed Jared’s ass.

It was different for Jared to see his mate at _home_. While the stress of some of his obligations was evident on Jensen’s face, Jared also sensed that his mate was glad to be there.

The changes in Jensen were subtle and perhaps it was a case of Jensen settling into his role now that he had Jared in his life. Jared knew that his mate had dedicated most of his energy and free time to finding his mate - and now - now that they were together it was as though life as pack Alpha began again for Jensen.

The more confident Jensen seemed in his role, the happier the pack seemed as a whole. The entire social structure began to make more sense to Jared. He saw how the greater pack interacted and with the obvious exception of Danneel and her father, Jared began to see how everyone's safety was interwoven and why Jensen worried so.

Smiling, he peered through the front window. Jensen was standing outside on the long veranda, staring out. He did that a lot. Jared thought that his mate might be considering all that was there, the lives, the relationship, and the land. Or maybe Jensen was just stealing some quiet time for himself.

Jensen would sense his presence so Jared pulled the door open and slipped outside. His arms moved automatically around Jensen's waist as he pressed up behind him. "Too lost in your thoughts for company?"

“Never too lost for your company,” Jensen murmured, leaning back against Jared and smiling softly. “What were you up to?” Jensen had grown to appreciate the little moments, the time he could spend with Jared because he didn’t have to constantly keep his guard up. Sure he was a little antsy, being at home while your parents were still around to do parental things, like reminding you to eat more vegetables and stuff wasn’t exactly the best.

“Sandy and I were looking into clinics, checking out some of the places that might be good.” Ever since the decision had been made that Jensen needed an heir, Jared had tried to stay involved. He didn’t ever want Jensen to think that he wasn’t supportive, or that he didn’t understand. “We found a place with resident care that does water birthing.”

“And water birthing is something Sandy wants?” Jensen had no idea how water birthing was any better than regular but well, he just had to play support at that point, it was Sandy who was going to experience it all. “Did they seem pretty um, lax with the questioning?” The last thing they needed was someone digging into why Jensen couldn’t just get Sandy pregnant himself.

Laughing, Jared nuzzled into Jensen's hair. It had grown a little longer since they'd returned to the homestead and Jared liked it; in fact, he had trouble keeping his hands out of it. "Well, ironically, the clinic we think you'll approve of has a man working there who is a _distant relative_. Your Mom seems to think that he'll cover for us if need be - apparently he owes your father a favor."

“You would be surprised at just how many people owe my father a favor,” Jensen laughed softly and then smiled; the feel of Jared’s lips and nose brushing at the nape of his neck was really nice. “How is Sandy? I know she won’t tell me if things are not so good, what do you think?”

Jared let out a warm breath against the back of Jensen's neck and kissed him gently. "You know, Jensen? She's happy. I think she feels like she's doing something really important and something she thought she might never have a chance to do. I _think_ she would tell you if she was having second thoughts. She has a great deal of respect for you but she loves you too - _like a brother_ , she says."

“Great, my sister is having my baby,” Jensen muttered then choked on a laugh, turning in Jared’s arms and draping his arms over Jared’s shoulders. “Let’s not think about that too much. And Katie? I keep getting weird vibes from her but I can’t pinpoint if it’s anger or if she’s just adjusting to the idea.” It was odd how he depended on Jared to know more about their pack than he did but Jared did see a different side of things.

"She's fussin' like a mother hen. I think she's a little jealous in a strange way but she's a hundred per cent behind Sandy's decision. Katie says she thinks that Sandy will be a great mom. I think she will, too." Jared leaned in and trailed his nose along Jensen's cheek. "And you, oh great leader? How are _you_ doing?"

“I am...” Jensen exhaled slowly, not sure he knew how to describe how he was. There had been so much to absorb when it came to this baby thing, and Jensen wasn’t sure he understood it all just yet. “You know. I’ll deal. I haven’t quite accepted all of it but hey, I have more than nine months to get used to the idea.”

“Yeah,” Jared answered softly. His fingers moved slowly through Jensen’s hair, twining through the longer strands. “You thinking we’ll check out the clinic after we go and see Misha?”

“Yeah. I think we should stay here for the majority of Sandy’s pregnancy. I don’t want her or the baby to be at risk and Danneel and her family are going to be traveling overseas soon; by the time they come back the baby will have been born and they’ll be unable to do anything. My father is already considering exile for the stunts they’re attempting to pull.” Jensen shuddered at the words. He couldn’t think of anything worse than exile from a clan.

“Exile? That sounds... well, wow. I can’t even imagine.” Even though he’d only been part of Jensen’s pack for a short time, Jared couldn’t even fathom being separated from them and never allowed to see them again. “Maybe you could - you know, talk to him about it. You liked Danneel once, right?”

“Until the moment she realized I would never like her as more than a friend and she became this... vindictive thing. I don’t want to tell them about the baby.” Jensen frowned, dragging his lip under his teeth, then looked up into Jared’s eyes. “It’s to the point that I’m not completely confident that they wouldn’t do something to Sandy to ensure the baby didn’t happen.”

“Really?” Jared’s blood ran cold and then he felt fierce protectiveness flair to life deep within. His brows drew together into a sharp frown and he resisted the urge to growl. “Then get rid of them. If she hurts Sandy in _any_ way....well, I don’t know what I’ll do but she won’t like it.” Shrugging his shoulders Jared tried to shake off the tension that was suddenly tugging at his muscles.

“I know. We would all hurt her if she did anything to Sandy. Exile is tricky though. Obviously, it can inspire a lot of hatred; the backlash from it can be strong and if they have any supporters in the clan, things can get bad fast. My dad is sort of waiting, hoping they’ll slip up.” Jensen sighed and laid his head on Jared’s shoulder. “And to think, this isn’t even the entire clan. Wait until they all get here.” He wasn’t sure Jared knew that detail so he braced himself for his mate’s reaction.

“Get here?” Jared leaned back slightly, studying his mate’s face. “Jensen? Is this about that _little ceremony I won’t even notice_?” Raising an eyebrow Jared thought it over for a few moments, then let his weight rest against Jensen’s chest. “If you tell me, I’ll make it worth your while.”

After a quick smile Jared let his lips slide down his mate’s neck to the spot _just_ above Jensen’s collar that drove his mate a little crazy. Flicking his tongue gently along the flesh he breathed out slowly, sensing the change in Jensen’s mood almost instantly.

“I think you’ll make it worth my while whether I tell you or not,” Jensen murmured, tipping his head back and digging his fingers into Jared’s back. “It’s just some other clan members - it’ll be just like a party, no big deal.” Jensen kept insisting it was a no big deal, and he was fairly certain it was; if he happened to have seen a massive planning list belonging to his mom, well, she just liked being careful.

“What if I say I won’t have sex with you until you tell me all the details?” Jared’s teeth worried at the sensitive skin on his mate’s neck, then he latched on to suck warm blood to the surface. Both his hands slipped under Jensen’s jacket then rucked his t-shirt up so that he could slide them up his mate’s fiery skin.

Jensen groaned and tilted his head back, pushing at Jared’s chest. “Well I don’t believe you. But, if you want all the details, you’re gonna have to stop doing that.” Jensen leaned against Jared, breathing in his rich, warm scent. “Can we have sex and I’ll tell you after?”

“No, you might withhold something.” Jared laughed softly. “So? How big is it really? Truth.”

Sighing, Jensen stepped back and ran a hand up through his hair. “Okay, look, I’m _the_ Ackles that will take the clan leader’s place. So me choosing a mate? It’s newsworthy. These people will want to see that you can handle being the second of the clan, they’re gonna want to know you, they’re gonna want to feel like you’re their friend. I know you can handle it, you’re great with people, but... it’s going to be a big deal.”

Frowning, Jensen paced away a few steps then turned back. “There are almost forty clan members Jared, and that doesn’t include kids and people marrying in. The number obviously goes up and down as people marry out, marry in, have kids. You know what it means to be a clan leader? You have to know them all by name, you had to know where they are and what they’re doing if they’re not here. And on most occasions you control all of their assets. My dad is constantly traveling all over the country for these people. So yes. Yeah, Jared, all of this is a big deal. It’s a really big fucking deal and this ceremony is the clan’s way of accepting that one day in the not so distant future we’ll be taking charge.”

Jensen was out of breath by the time he finished and he stood staring at Jared, his shoulders rising and falling with each heavy breath, his eyes wide as if the words had shocked him into silence.

Blinking a few times Jared simply stared at his mate for a few moments, then hopped up onto the railing. "Okay then. What do I do to prepare? Will you walk me through some of the traditions I may not know? Tell me about some of the more noteworthy people?" He smiled slightly and brushed his hair out of his eyes. "'Bout time I acted the part - you know, your beta."

“You do act the part.” Jensen shrugged, deflating after Jared’s calm response. Apparently, his mate was much better about not freaking out about things. “You know the standard things. Stand behind me, let me serve your food which is me controlling what you eat and drink, allow me to introduce you, don’t engage conversation with Alpha’s if you can help it because if they ask you to do something you generally have to. Being my beta has its benefits, you hold seniority over most of the clan members just because of that, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. Some of these guys can be real intense about traditions.”

"Okay," Jared said. He tried to keep his voice steady even though his nerves were more than a little rattled. It was just that he thought Jensen had more than enough to worry about without wondering if Jared would fall apart when faced with a little stress. "So - what might they ask me to do? Nothing... nothing creepy, right? I don't want to touch anyone but our pack...or anything." Smiling weakly Jared held out his hand, wanting Jensen back near him again.

“Here’s the most important thing,” Jensen took Jared’s hand and squeezed softly, stepping toward him. “If it comes down to it, I will _always_ take your side. So if you say no to something and you’ve inadvertently offended someone, I’m gonna have your back. And if at this ceremony you don’t want to leave my side or the sides of anyone in our pack, that’s completely okay. This is supposed to be a welcome party, you know.” Jensen was probably doing a good job of worrying his mate about their impending future engagement, but maybe it wouldn’t be as bad and Jared would be prepared.

“OOhkay.” Jared hooked his legs around Jensen’s and pulled him in closer. “Do we get to dress up? Is that why your Mom insisted that their _personal_ tailor make me that dinner suit?” Raising an eyebrow Jared tapped a finger on the end of Jensen’s nose playfully.

“Yes, we’ll dress up. We’ll also get to see the girls in dresses, won’t that be fun?” Jensen forced a smile, wishing he could be as calm about this thing as Jared appeared to be. “I thought I’d be calming you down right about now,” Jensen admitted, maybe a little disappointed that he _wasn’t_ getting to flex his Alpha muscles with Jared and be the strong man to soothe his poor nervous mate. Jensen snorted at the image and shook his head.

“I’m trying for an outward exterior of calm and collected. Jensen?” Jared sighed and slipped his hand over his mate’s cheek. “I don’t want to add to all of the things you have to worry about.” Pressing their lips together, Jared smiled and then slipped his arms round Jensen’s neck to pull him into a tight hug.

“I don’t mind worrying about you,” Jensen murmured, wrapping his arms around Jared and squeezing him back. “If you don’t want to be strong for a while I can be strong for us. Lord knows you’ve been strong for both of us on many occasions already.”

"I'm terrified," Jared said against Jensen' neck. "I'm scared that I'll screw something up or that I'll offend someone but - I think the biggest things is that I worry that I'll let the pack down, let _you_ down. I couldn't live with that." Jared sat back slightly until he could see Jensen's eyes. "I love you. _So_ much and I want to be what you need me to be. Guess I just don't always believe I can do it." Shrugging a shoulder, he looked down.

Smiling softly, Jensen laid his hand over Jared’s jaw and brushed his thumb over his skin. “You will _never_ let me down, it’s just not in your nature. There’s nothing you could say to anyone really that would be unforgivable. Though I would advise against any insults, even in fun. You know, don’t tell my grandfather that his beard is funny looking.” Jensen shrugged, dipping down to catch sight of Jared’s smile. “Every day I am more and more proud of you and what you can do, and I know that’s only going to get better.”

Jared smiled slightly and looked down again. “When you’re here... when you take over. Will you still have time for me?”

Sucking in a slow breath, Jensen let both of his hands frame Jared’s jaw and tilted up until the man had no choice but to look at him. “I will always have time for you. And you will still be my number one. I promise.” He smiled softly and leaned in, brushing his lips over Jared’s.

"Even if you have a - I mean, when Sandy has the baby, you'll have even more responsibility and I know it's really important. I do. I'm not selfish, I swear. I just want to know what's gonna happen." Jared had been trying to push aside his thoughts for so long now that he felt a little crazy finally saying everything aloud.

“I _will_ have responsibilities but Jared, I never thought this kid was just going to be mine. I mean, I kind of thought it would be _our_ kid. I want that kid to call you Dad, too. And I just...” Jensen sighed and dipped forward, pressing his forehead to Jared’s. “Listen, Jared, I swear that above everything you will be my most important thing. Of course I’ll love that kid but so will you, I know it, and I will _always_ put you first. I promise that.”

"It's selfish, right? For me to want you so much." Jared closed his eyes and focused on the warmth of his mate's body.

“Be selfish, I’m okay with that.” Jensen whispered and pressed a little closer. “Don’t think I don’t want that. If I could I swear I would just run away with you now.”

"No, you wouldn't. You couldn't leave Chris and Katie. Sandy would cry and Chad would miss you." Jared smiled and sat back, hands sliding down Jensen's arms. "Do you ever think about what it was like before? I feel like-" Jared shook his head, not sure he would be able to _ever_ let Jensen know what he meant to him. "It's been like learning how to breathe."

Jensen smiled softly and nodded. “Yeah, I know how you feel. I can’t remember what life was like without you in it. And for the record, I could. I would miss them, sure, but I would have you and that’s what would keep me going.” He leaned forward and kissed the corner of Jared’s mouth. “We’re gonna be okay. Hell, we’re gonna be great, even.”

“I just gotta live through my _coming out party_.” Jared sighed and then smiled slightly. “You owe me good sex after that party. And maybe even a back rub.”

“I promise the best sex you’ve ever had,” Jensen laughed softly and slid his hand up through Jared’s hair. “Try not to worry about it too much.”

“Easy for _you_ to say,” Jared muttered. “Thank you for finding me, Jensen.”

“Mm, my pleasure,” Jensen hummed softly and pressed forward to deepen a kiss over his mate’s mouth. He knew they could get through anything as long as they were together. And maybe he wasn’t absolutely relishing the idea of the party coming up but it was just one night, what could possibly go wrong?

The party was a blur of faces and names. Jared spent the first hour or so half a step behind his mate, nodding and smiling, answering when spoken to and trying to be as charming as possible.

The suit that Jensen's mom had insisted he have made fit him like a glove. He could tell that the outfit suited him because Jensen could hardly keep his eyes off of Jared. Smiling, Jared dropped his gaze and moved away from his mate slightly, as he seemed to be involved in a heated discussion with some of the other Alphas. He loved watching Jensen. The man was a natural, the way he laughed softly, touched the elbows of the other men unassumingly. Jared couldn't imagine anyone having a problem with Jensen taking over from his father when the time came.

Heading over to a table full of hors d'œuvres, Jared picked up something small. It looked a little like a cracker with some kind of fish on it. Lifting it carefully, he sniffed it while no one was looking. It smelled okay so he popped it in his mouth and chewed as he looked around the room.

Sandy waved at him from across the room where she was standing with Katie. The women were drop dead gorgeous. Katie had here hair up, long curls bursting out of a small collection on the back of her head. Her dress was stunning -long and dark with a slight shimmer to it - simple and understated. Sandy's dress was light blue, and hugged all her curves, and even their jewelry matched. Jared had thought that was sweet but that might have been because he and Jensen had matching cufflinks.

As he looked around the room he spotted Christian and Chad. His smile grew. They looked equally uncomfortable in their suits even though they were both gorgeous. They were a striking couple, there was no doubt about that and Jared lifted his chin in a silent greeting when Christian looked his way.

Jensen was still listening intently to a rather large man in a mismatched jacket and pants so Jared wandered over to the balcony and slipped outside for a little fresh air.

“It’s a little much, huh?” Danneel asked as she stepped out onto the balcony, laughing and holding up her hands when Jared’s eyes snapped to her. “Relax. I call a truce. I’m not foolish enough to think Jensen could possibly see anyone else but you.”

Jared’s eyes narrowed then softened when he remembered that Jensen had said it was almost certain that she and her father would be exiled. Everything was still being kept quiet in case her family found a last minute way to redeem themselves. The entire situation left a bad taste in Jared’s mouth.

Forcing a slight smile he nodded politely and turned back to stare out over the forest. “It’s just beautiful here. I like being outside.”

“Must be the new wolf in you, longing to be outdoors. I don’t remember the feeling myself, being pureblood, but I know most wolf pups as kids would rather spend their entire day outdoors.” Danneel leaned back against the railing, sighing softly. “That’s how it was for Jensen and I. Did he tell you that we’ve known each other since we were babies?”

“I wish I’d known him then. I was really young when I met him - and he was so sweet to me.” Jared smiled at the memory and tried to ignore Danneel’s comment about purebloods. Jensen had already spoken to him about the controversy of bringing new wolves into the pack. “You were lucky to grow up here.”

“I grew up all over the world. My family enjoys traveling, and I can remember so many fond memories of summers in France and Spain,” Danneel sighed wistfully, brushing her hair off her shoulder. “But of course, being here was a joy as well. Especially after Josh passed away and Jensen and I became closer. He really was so wrecked over the loss of his brother, the entire pack was.”

Jared glanced over at Danneel; her long dark hair was glistening in the moonlight. “I remember. Well, I didn’t know it then but he came and found me the second time just after Josh’s death. It must have been a difficult time for him. You must miss his friendship, Jensen’s I mean.” Jared ran a hand through his hair nervously.

Once more Danneel sighed and turned to look out over the horizon. “I miss how close we were. Oh, so many nights spent up late talking, lying in each other’s arms, walking through the forest. We would run together as wolves - for a while there we were inseparable. I have never met anyone quite as passionate as Jensen.” Her eyes slid over to Jared and she smiled. “But of course, you know about that.”

Danneel's words sliced into Jared and he found himself drawing in a deep breath to keep his jealously at bay. He swallowed his emotions down and winced slightly as he turned away to try and hide his expression. "I'm... I'm sure he was very fond of you. He said that some had hoped that you and he would mate."

“It wasn’t as if we couldn’t have,” Danneel reasoned, turning back to the party and sipping from the champagne glass she held. “I mean, it’s not like he’s _gay_. Sure he might have been caught up on this idea of you being out there but he was perfectly capable of performing with a woman. Actually, I think if he’d never met you as a child, then this party would be for me and him. Ah well, guess a part of me will always love him. After all, when you let someone be your first, they’ll always carry a part of you, right?”

Jared’s throat tightened and he frowned as his fingers tightened over the railing in front of him. “First? I was his … I mean, he … we shouldn’t be talking about this.” Jared knew that he couldn’t trust a word of what Danneel was saying - shouldn’t trust it - but it was so hard to control the emotions that were railing inside of him.

“It’s okay, I won’t say anything. Of course the future beta of our clan would never let himself get swept up in something as petty as who Jensen lost his virginity to.” Danneel laughed, high and false and stepped away from Jared. “Have you seen that little birthmark on his hip? I swear it looks just like a mushroom.”

Pulling back from the railing, Jared noticed his hands were shaking and shoved them into the pockets in his trousers. "Well, I - all I need to know is what Jensen tells me. I trust in his judgment in these kinds of matters." Ducking his head down politely, Jared back away slowly. "I should probably go and find him." His heart was thundering and Jared was torn between hating Danneel and hating himself for even allowed the slightest doubt to enter his mind.

“Jared?” Christian grabbed his arm the moment he stepped inside, lips pursing in a frown. “What’s the matter? What happened?”

Flinching back slightly, Jared blinked down at Christian with wide eyes as he was jolted out of his thoughts. "I need to - is it okay if I leave yet?" Fighting back the tears that were stinging at his eyes he took a shaky breath. All he could think of was Danneel knowing about Jensen's birthmark, and how he liked to trace the edges of it with his tongue. Trembling, he glanced over Christian's shoulder and tugged on his arm. "I need some air - or something."

“Okay, just-” Christian looked around the room, nodding after a moment then looking back. “You wanna walk outside with Chad? I’ll tell Jensen you just needed some space. Is it- Jared? What happened?”

“Yeah, Chad.” Jared’s eyes moved frantically over the crowd. “It’s - I just had a conversation with Danneel. I just didn’t know - I mean-” Jared sighed. “Don’t tell Jensen,” he said softly and rubbed a hand over his eyes.

“You can’t ask me to do that,” Christian said quietly, smiling softly up at Jared. “Whatever she said Jared, you know how she is. It’s likely not true. So just, remember that.”

“What’s up?” Chad stepped up to them, looking between Christian and Jared. “Everything okay?”

"Could you come for a walk with me? I need to ... I need to get out of here for a while." Jared scratched at the back of his neck, eyes locking with Jensen's for a moment across the room. Reaching out he grabbed Chad's hand and pulled him toward the door before Jensen could head over to them. "Christian says it's okay."

“Um, okay,” Chad looked over his shoulder then stumbled after Jared, squeezing his hand. “What’s going on, Jared?”

Jared tugged harder on Chad's hand until they were well away from the warm light spilling out of the windows on the main floor of the house. "Danneel," he said softly. Rubbing a hand across his face roughly he groaned and took a few deep breaths of fresh air, then loosened his tie. "She said, she implied... well, she knows things."

“Things? Like what?” Chad frowned, fidgeting with the edge of his suit coat.

“Things she couldn’t know unless she’d … she’s-” Jared took a few steps closer and lowered his voice. “She’s seen him naked and talked about them touching each other and holding and... _fuck_ , do you have any idea how that feels?” Jared stabbed a finger at Chad’s chest. “I don’t want to feel like this. How could she know that?”

Chad’s eyes widened, his hand lifting to rub over the spot Jared had jabbed. “I don’t know. I mean, I know they’ve known each other for a really long time. But I thought... I mean, weren’t you his first? That’s what Christian said. That he waited for you.”

“He said that. Yeah. I mean I trust him - but it’s hard - like-” shaking his head Jared pressed his hand to his chest. “It hurts to think of her...” As his voice trailed off he looked up at the night sky then closed his eyes. “What do I do, Chad?”

“Talk to him,” Chad said simply, shaking his head a moment later. “Jensen wouldn’t lie to you about something so major, Jared. What would be the point in lying? I don’t know how she knows whatever it is she knows but I can’t imagine him actually sleeping with her. Unless...”

Jared’s head snapped back down. “Unless what?” His blood ran cold and he clenched his hands into tight fists. “What?!”

“Well I mean, if he was drunk or something, maybe he just thought it didn’t count?” Chad flinched and shook his head. “No. No way man. I just don’t see him not telling you.”

“Yeah, yeah. I know you’re right. It’s just... _God_. She’s horrible. I mean - even if - what if - there’s a _grain_ of truth to this. Why cause so much hurt?” Jared knew that Chad couldn’t answer his question and his shoulder sagged as he glanced over at the house. “I guess we shouldn’t be away long, huh?”

“Not you, no. You’re kind of the main event.” Chad reached out and grabbed his arm, squeezing softly then tugging him in for a hug. “It’ll be okay. Talk to Jensen, he’ll tell you the truth, and he’ll probably get all pissed and snap at Danneel. That’ll be worth seeing.”

Nodding slowly Jared closed his eyes and hugged Chad _hard_. He just had to make it through the rest of the party and then he could talk to Jensen - or - maybe by then he would just be _over_ it and let it go. Probably not the wisest choice but he didn’t like the burning feeling in his gut. Jealously was a nasty feeling.

“Thanks, Chad,” he whispered.

The moment Jensen’s eyes had caught Jared’s he smiled, turning from the men he’d been talking with and fully planning on crossing the room to his mate. But before he could even move Jared was spinning and tugging Chad so fast out of the room it left Jensen reeling. And really, it was Chad, Jensen knew the two were close friends, but the fact that Jared had left without even a returning smile had his chest tightening.

Clearing his throat, Jensen forced a smile and excused himself before making his way over to Christian, that fake smile still on his face as he nodded greetings at the people he passed. “Everything alright?” he asked around the edge of his champagne glass as he stepped next to Christian.

“Nothing to worry about right now. This party is going great, we don’t want to ruin that,” Christian said quietly, his eyes fixed down on the ground.

As leader of this pack, Jensen could sense an assortment of feelings from each member if he really tried. Now, trying with Christian, he could feel hesitancy and annoyance, maybe a little something sad that left Jensen even more confused. “What’s the matter, Christian?”

“Look, it’s not my place to say, okay?” Christian met his gaze and his eyes were pleading. “Stop asking.”

Jensen’s breath caught for a moment and he slowly nodded, that horrible feeling in his gut growing. He stepped back as Christian excused himself, and then swallowed thickly. Something was wrong, he just wasn’t sure what it could be, or whether he should really be pursuing it when he was still trying to entertain party goers.

He was stopped by a great Uncle on the way to the door and he made quick, forced cheerful answers as he assured that things were going great and he couldn’t be happier. When he finally got away it took all his effort not to run to the door and find his mate. He could feel blurred versions of Jared’s feelings but they seemed sharp and conflicting and Jensen couldn’t pinpoint an origin.

He stopped just outside the door, his eyes instantly snapping and locking on the pair off in the distance, clasped together in an embrace that seemed to last for hours. Jensen shouldn’t have been jealous, it was _Chad_ , but he could feel the pain his mate was experiencing and the way it eased slightly at Chad’s comfort. What had happened to Jared and why hadn’t his mate come to him with his problem? Why wasn’t he the one comforting Jared?

Jensen couldn’t feel his legs, which was an odd sensation, and he thought he should turn and go back inside but moving seemed impossible. He watched as Jared and Chad stepped apart and turned to head back inside, their hands clasped and swinging back and forth between them.

Sucking in a breath, Jensen stumbled back, annoyed with himself for letting it get to this point. Was he really so juvenile that he was jealous of his mate and his friend?

As Jared and Chad drew closer the air came rushing back into his chest and he spun, heading back inside before he did something stupid, like punching Chad. His heart was racing and he felt a little sick to his stomach but he had to force himself to be level-headed in the face of all these people expecting things of him.

“Shit,” Jared murmured. Quickening his step Jared reached the door as it was closing and yanked it open. The hum of the crowd was still loud and Jared saw only the back of Jensen’s suit jacket as he wove through the bodies. “Jensen!”

Jared smiled at the people who turned toward him and reached behind him blindly for Chad. “Find Christian,” he said softly. Heading off he trailed after Jensen, smiling and nodding as people recognized him.

It didn’t take him long to catch up to his mate and he could feel the way Jensen was trying to restrain his emotions. Slipping into his place just behind his mate, Jared settled his hand on the small of Jensen’s back, frowning when Jensen’s shoulders squared almost imperceptibly.

“And Jensen, how are you enjoying your time at home? It’s different from your usual routine, isn’t it?”

Jensen smiled and nodded, trying not to show that standing by Jared and not demanding some explanation was killing him. He cleared his throat several times and nodded once more. “I am, enjoying it. Things are- it’s good. The pack needed a rest. If you’ll just excuse me for a second.”

He bowed his head toward the men - not even sure he could name who they were - and turned, needing something very strong to drink. He was sure there was a logical explanation for all of this but that image of Jared and Chad embracing, holding hands, Jared’s unease settling as they spoke, it was stirring up all the worst parts of him.

He pushed his way through the crowd, dimly aware of Jared following him but it was the table with full champagne flutes that he was heading toward.

Jared had to widen his steps to keep up with Jensen. “Jensen?” Frowning he ran into Jensen’s back when his mate stopped at a drink table. “Jen?”

“Not now, Jared,” Jensen said, voice tight and words clipped. He could feel the jealousy mixed with pain in his words and he knew Jared would hear it and feel it as well. Looking up, he saw Christian and Chad heading their way and he sighed, rolling his eyes. “I can’t do this here.”

"Do what?" Jared's voice softened and he stepped closer, sliding his hand over Jensen's hip. He could feel the tangle of emotions radiating off his mate and shuddered. "Jensen?"

The words caught in Jensen’s throat and he forced his gaze to Jared, trying to find what it was that had started this all in the first place. Christian and Chad came to a stop beside them and Jensen pursed his lips. “I’m glad Chad was able to comfort you, Jared, but I don’t have the same luxuries. If you’ll excuse me, I still have more than a dozen people to go talk to.”

Jared's jaw clenched tight against the swell of emotion that threatened to strangle him. "Sometimes, you really hurt me," Jared said softly. "And I don't even think you mean to." Forcing a smile back onto his face, Jared glanced over at Christian and shook his head slowly. When he glanced back at Jensen his mate was looking away. "Do you want me to come along?"

White hot tears were burning along Jensen’s eyes and he couldn’t look anywhere but at the ground, each breath feeling painful and sharp. “Fuck this,” he muttered and shook his head, turning and heading for the door. He just needed a few minutes to stop acting like a child and then he could force himself through the night once more and not think about Jared’s words echoing through his mind.

“Wow, well, this has sure gotten out of hand,” Christian muttered, looking from the door back to Jared. “Never seen him cry before.”

Jared was still staring at the table in front of them, his heart aching with every beat. All he'd been doing was trying to _not_ worrying Jensen and he always seemed to mess things up. "Christian, can I follow along with you and Chad so I don't screw anything else up?" Jared's voice was thick and his fingers curled over the edges of his shirt cuffs.

“Yeah, of course.” Christian nodded, glancing over at Chad then back over at Jared. “You don’t want to go after him?”

Looking down at the floor, Jared shook his head and breathed slowly as he tried to fight back the tight clench of sadness in his throat. "He doesn't want me near him right now."

“But that can’t-”

Christian laid his hand on Chad’s arm and shook his head, murmuring quietly, “This time it’s not our place. We’ve done enough.” Clearing his throat, he turned back to Jared and reached up to squeeze his shoulder. “If that’s what you think is best then you’re welcome to hang out with us. Want to go find the girls?”

Not trusting his voice Jared simply nodded again and shoved his hands in his pockets. Without looking up Jared followed along behind Christian, shoulder bumping Chad's every now and again. When he finally looked up they were approaching Katie and Sandy and Jared smiled weakly before sinking down into one of the chairs behind them.

“What’s going on? Sandy and I felt something weird.” Katie instantly pulled a chair close, wrapping her arm around Jared’s shoulder. “What’s wrong, Jared? Did someone say something to you? I’ll kill them.”

“I’ll claw their eyes out,” Sandy offered, pulling up to Jared’s other side and smiling back at Chad as he joined them.

“It’s fine,” Jared said quietly. “I’m just tired and Jensen - Jensen’s busy. Or something.” Looking around the room, Jared smiled slightly and lifted his hand to wave at Jensen’s mother.

“Bullshit Jared, we can all feel your pain.” Katie sighed and shook her head. “Not gonna make you tell me but you don’t gotta pretend to be fine around us. We’re family, we can handle it.” She looked up to nod, smiling when Sandy nodded as well and took Jared’s hand.

A muscle was twitching just under Jared's eye and he rubbed at it; it was driving him crazy. Looking up at Christian he shrugged then dropped his gaze again. "Danneel said some things - and I was upset. I thought that, I just wanted to talk to someone and Christian said I could talk to Chad. And... and then Jensen - he saw us and it was just a hug - and he's so mad..." Jared pressed his hand to the ache in his chest and shook his head. He hated sounding like some love sick idiot who had no clue what was going on - but that was pretty much the case.

“I thought if I asked him about what she said, he’d be so angry. Because I’m supposed to trust him. Not question him.” Smiling coldly Jared twisted his fingers together. “Guess he got angry anyway.”

It was quiet for a few moments before Katie snorted. “Well, it’s not like Jensen is the most level headed guy all the time. Remember how he was with Misha? He’s got a real jealousy complex.”

“I’m actually kind of flattered he got jealous of me,” Chad grinned, laughing when Christian smacked his arm. “What? It’s like, an honor. I’m one of hundreds.”

“Jared,” Sandy sighed and squeezed his hand tightly. “Even if you’re pretty sure that what Danneel said was a lie, which knowing her it probably was but whatever, you shouldn’t be scared about talking to him about it. ‘Cause you guys love each other, and love is like air - you can’t see it but you know it’s there. Sometimes you question things you can’t see, it’s normal. It’ll be okay.” Sandy smiled up at him, looking over at Chad and Christian then back at Katie, only to realize they were all watching her. “What?”

“Love is like the wind,” Chad said in an airy voice, pretending to toss his hair over his shoulder, causing the four to burst into laughter.

Smiling, Jared looked over at Sandy. "You guys think I should go and find him." Jared was just so weary.

“What does your heart tell you to do?” Sandy asked, reaching back to smack Chad’s leg when the man snorted.

Closing his eyes for a few moments, Jared dropped his head and rubbed at the back of his neck. He was still waiting for the time when everything would be easy. Pushing up from the seat he headed across the room quickly without a word. He knew Jensen hadn't gone far because ... well, he wouldn't. Even angry at Jared, frustrated, he'd never leave his pack alone.

Stopping in the front hallway Jared focused his thoughts, reaching out for his mate, then turned and headed down the hall quickly. Pulling the front door open he headed out and his eyes adjusted quickly to the dark. Jensen was easy to spot; he was pacing along the front grass, lingering near the edge of the forest.

Taking a deep breath, Jared headed down the stairs and walked over to his mate. "Jensen?"

“It’s fine, Jared,” Jensen stopped mid step and turned to his mate, inhaling deeply. He’d still been waiting for the sadness and irritation to roll off his shoulders but he knew it was probably more his fault than he’d realized. As Jared had said, he did some things without even realizing it. “I’m sorry for snapping, I just need a few minutes.”

"Jesus, okay." Spinning, Jared bit back the swear words that were on the tip of his tongue and headed back to the house. “Just let me know when it’s okay to be _around_ you again,” he said softly.

Another wave of sadness coursed through Jensen and he dropped his hands, staring at his mate’s back. “Jared,” he said softly, emotion catching his voice. “What do you want from me? I don’t want to hurt you again, and I don’t even know what I did in the first place.”

Jared stopped in his tracks without turning and closed his eyes. "I was just talking to Chad because I needed a friend. You shouldn't be so angry. You care just as much for him as I do." Jared had no intention of bringing up his conversation with Danneel, much as it pained him to keep thing from his mate.

“But why were you talking to Chad? I can feel- you were upset about something. And you two were hugging and holding hands, he made you feel better and that’s, I mean-” Jensen’s shoulders slumped and he shook his head. “Sorry. You’re right. I shouldn’t be so angry. Just overreacting.” Jensen shoved the feelings aside and forced himself forward. “Next time I’ll react better.”

"I'm sorry for upsetting you, I won't do it again," Jared said quietly. Turning slowly, he smiled slightly. "We should go back in, there were some people starting to say good-bye when I came out here." He took a step back and gestured to the house behind him and sighed.

Looking over at his mate, Jensen couldn’t even make himself smile. He knew that there was something he was missing, some piece of the puzzle he hadn’t been given, but apparently Jared had no desire to tell him what it was. “Right,” he nodded and looked away, heading for the house again.


	4. Chapter 4

Jensen had thought the night started out on a great note. Jared had handled himself so well, and Jensen had been so proud of him. Then something had happened, Jared had disappeared for a little while and it was like everything was suddenly exploding and he couldn’t process any of it.

Somehow they’d forced a peaceful happiness to get through all the goodbyes, ensuring everyone that they’d see them again soon, not letting on that there was anything wrong. Jensen suspected that the rest of the pack knew something - or at least more than he knew - considering the way they so carefully steered clear of him.

Now they were done for the night, Jensen shrugging out of his suit coat and trying to ignore the quiet, awkward tension. He told himself it was just him, he was reading into the feelings, because Jared wouldn’t keep something important from him. Maybe the party had just become too much and Chad was still young, he could relate more with Jared on the subject.

He stripped down to his boxers, laying each piece of the nice suit over the chair so he could send it for dry cleaning later. So that was it, Jared just needed to talk with someone who got the situation, and if Jensen couldn’t be the one to make him feel better? Well, it wasn’t like Jared had to call on him for everything - just because his instincts yearned for that, Jared hadn’t been raised in the same world.

Hair brushed, teeth brushed, all the pointless little necessities taken care of, Jensen was left with no choice but to climb into bed. Jared was already there, lying on the side he’d taken since they’d arrived at the manor, and Jensen cleared his throat but found no words. So he reached out to turn off the lamp and dropped back on the pillow, blinking up through the darkness.

“That went well. People were impressed by you,” he said quietly, maybe a little flatly, but he thought Jared deserved to know. “You did a great job.”

“Thank you, I tried to remember everything you told me.” Jared rolled onto his side and reached out to pick up the cuff links he’d taken off earlier. They were small gold quarter moons, quite beautiful. “There were some really great people there, Chad said-” Jared snapped his mouth closed. The last thing he wanted was to bring up any of their earlier tension. “Well, it was nice, nicer than I expected. Thank you.”

“Thank my mother, she planned everything.” Jensen shrugged and inhaled slowly. “What did Chad say?” he asked, trying to give his voice a lightness to let Jared know he wasn’t jealous of the situation anymore.

“Oh, nothing, he just had a good time.” Putting the cuff links back on the night stand Jared tucked his hands under the covers. “I’ll be sure and thank your Mom tomorrow,” he sighed, his heart aching to turn over and melt into Jensen’s side.

“Good.” Jensen nodded, his eyes fluttering open and closed a few more times. He didn’t know what to do with himself, how to make things better. “Well-.” The word caught and stuck in his throat, sounding weird and strangled before he cleared his throat. “Night, then.”

“Night.” Jared pressed his lips tight together for a few moments. “Can we go and see Misha soon? I miss him.” Maybe he said it to hurt Jensen, maybe he meant it - probably it was a bit of both.

Something tight curled through Jensen and he closed his eyes, riding out the wave of jealousy and sadness until he knew he could speak without sounding affected. “I’ll arrange for us to go in the next few days,” he said quietly and rolled onto his side, staring at the neon green lights of the clock on his nightstand.

"Thank you." Jared rubbed at the end of his nose and blew out a long breath. He'd never felt lonely in Jensen's home until that very moment and he hated it. Closing his eyes he willed sleep to come quickly.

Jensen couldn’t sleep. It was like an impossibility without Jared in his arms and he wasn’t sure how much he cried but it was probably more than any grown man ever should. He wasn’t sure if Jared fell asleep because he couldn’t move, he was stuck there on his side until the room started to lighten.

Finally, he sat up and rubbed at his dry eyes, the exhaustion wearing through him almost bone deep. He could feel the _thing_ between them whether Jared was awake or not and Jensen found himself suddenly terrified about what this might mean for them.

Unable to handle just sitting there on the bed, Jensen stood and dressed, silently moving to his desk and turning on his laptop. If it would make Jared happy to see Misha then that’s what Jensen would do. Maybe somewhere along the way things would be better.

By the time the sun was up and there was noise from the bed Jensen had everything situated and he stood, walking over to the side of the bed and sitting beside Jared. “Weather looks good,” he said quietly, looking down at Jared’s barely blinking eyes. “We can leave this afternoon and be there late tomorrow.”

"Really?" Jared reached up to rub at his eyes slowly then yawned. "I'll phone Misha, he'll be excited." Smiling, Jared glanced over at the clock. "Sorry I slept so late." A heavy sigh left his lips as he remembered all the events of the night before and his gaze settled on Jensen's hip.

“That’s alright, you can be the first to drive.” Jensen smiled briefly at Jared, patting his thigh. “I’ve gotta let everyone know. I’m going to give the option of staying behind; I’m not sure if the vampire fighting thing is a good idea right now.” He left his hand on Jared’s thigh, mainly because he was desperate for contact with his mate.

“Why? I thought you wanted to make it safer there. If Sandy’s, well, when she’s pregnant we won’t be able to do it. What about Misha?” Jared leaned up on his elbows and blew his hair out of his eyes.

“Fine,” Jensen shrugged and pulled his hand back. “I just know in my experience that packs don’t fight well when everyone’s not in unison. But you’re right, we don’t want Misha in danger. Though I would hope after last time he would know not to go out at night even out of curiosity.”

"We're in unison - what do you mean?" Jared knew it wasn't true as soon as he said it and turned his gaze away from Jensen's. Sometimes he felt like his mate could see right through him.

“This is not unison. When we’re in unison I’m actually able to sleep.” Jensen pushed off the bed and shrugged. “But if we want to do the vampire thing before the baby thing, then it should be now.” Jensen headed to the closet to grab their bags, dragging them out to start packing. “You...” he paused with Jared’s shirt in his hand and picked at the fabric, bringing it up to inhale his mate’s scent because he missed it that much. “You’ll come back with us, right?”

“Come back? To Misha’s? Of course. I want to see him.” Jared sat up, tugging the blankets up and staring over at his mate.

“No, I meant here. After we see Misha.” Jensen clutched the shirt a little tighter, turning back to the closet to hide how wrecked he felt.

“Why wouldn’t I come back here?” Jared’s brows drew together and that all too familiar clench of sadness in his chest. “Do you not want me here?” Jared blinked slowly, eyes widening with fear. “I don’t - I don’t want to be away-” his voice broke as all the tension and frustration slammed into him again.

“Of course I want you here.” Jensen dropped the shirt and turned to Jared. He swore softly and shook his head, crossing the room and dropping on the bed beside Jared. “I just know how much you miss Misha and how... I’m doing all these things wrong, and the way it feels right now between us, how much it hurts.”

It took a few moments for Jared to be able to speak again. He smiled at Jensen and scratched nervously at his chest. “I’m sorry, I promise I’ll try harder. I just, I got a little confused about things. I’m sorry.” Looking down at the blanket, Jared studied the pattern as he tried to relax and slow the frantic beating of his heart. “Thought you were gonna tell me you didn’t want me back,” he said in an almost whisper.

“I would never say that,” Jensen whispered and dropped the hand he had been extending toward Jared down into his lap. He couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more, that _something_ had to cause this all to happen in the first place, but he didn’t want to believe that Jared would keep anything from him. “Well. Okay. So I guess I’ll go tell everyone to start getting ready.”

“Jensen?”

Swallowing thickly and tensing his shoulders, Jensen looked up at his mate. “Yeah?”

“You’d never lie to me, right?” Jared blinked a few times, eyes burning as he studied Jensen’s face.

Frowning, Jensen tried to think of everything that had happened the night before, searching for something he missed that would trigger this question. Coming up with nothing, Jensen shook his head. “Never. And I never have. Why?”

“Just wondering,” Jared said softly. “You know, people talk and sometimes, you, well, I hear things and … but it’s okay. I know that. I’ll - I should probably get dressed.” Pushing the covers back Jared swung his feet out of bed. The floor was chilly and he shivered slightly.

Jensen stood, once more almost reaching out for Jared before sighing and shaking his head. “What did you hear?” he asked quietly, stepping back to give Jared more space, though he felt like there was already an entire canyon between them.

Jared hunted around for a clean shirt and managed to find a t-shirt in his bag. Pulling it down over his head he bent again to pick up his jeans. "What? Oh... nothing really, just stories about you growing up here. It must have been a great place to be young." Jared crossed his arms and squeezed his chest. "Is it colder? It feels cold."

“What stories?” Jensen pressed, wondering for a moment how Jared could even function. Maybe he was just dwelling on too much on it, maybe his emotions were over-heightened from his lack of sleep, but the pain he felt from not even touching Jared made his legs weak. He sat on the edge of the bed once more and watched Jared hunt around for socks. “Jared, what stories did you hear?”

Shivering again, Jared glanced up at Jensen then quickly away. "Danneel was telling me how close you were when you were younger, that's all." He could hear the waver in his voice and swore softly. "I can't find my other sock, can I borrow a pair of yours? I haven't been cold since you ..." Jared waved the sock and padded over to Jensen's bag.

“Why won’t you tell me?” Jensen asked and was both annoyed and surprised at the tears that formed in his eyes. He’d thought he’d cried himself out. “Why are you keeping something from me? If it was bad enough that you needed to go to Chad for comfort- and it should have been- why can’t I make it better? I should make you better.” Jensen wiped angrily at his eyes, blinking hard to clear away the tears.

When Jared looked up he did a double-take and then closed his eyes and stood there, frozen to the spot. It felt as though his heart was going to just give up and Jared let out a small sound, and then headed over to kneel at Jensen's feet. Reaching up he wiped at the tears on his mate's face, flinching slightly when Jensen moved. "I didn't believe her," he said softly. His thumb swept across Jensen's cheek. “But she said she knew about your birthmark and - it’s okay, I mean, you didn’t know me then so what difference does it make, right?” Jared’s words came out in a tumble and he dropped his hand quickly.

“She knew about...” Jensen frowned, trying to sort out Jared’s words. When they finally started making sense, his eyes widened. “So, what? She said that she and I slept together?” That sounded _just_ like Danneel, to shake things up and try to damage things between them. “And you thought, because of the birthmark? Jared, she’s seen me- I mean, after the change, you know? She saw me naked once, we were like, _twelve_. That’s the closest it ever came to anything at all.”

"It's okay, you don't have to explain yourself to me. Christian said that whatever she told me probably wasn't true and Chad, I was just trying to calm myself down. The party was so important but you got so angry at me. And all I wanted was to try and deal with it myself, just ignore it -because I loved you anyway. I don't care if I wasn't the first - or if you'd fallen asleep in her arms." Jared swiped at the tears on his cheeks. "I was respectful to her, I promise - I didn't start anything or let her know that she'd upset me."

“I wasn’t angry.” Jensen wasn’t sure where to begin and he wanted so badly to pull Jared into his arms but he knew things weren’t quite right yet. “I was hurt. Because I could feel _you_ were hurting and you didn’t come to me. I understand now, I guess. I never did anything with her, not even so much as hold her hand. God, Jared, don’t you believe that I’ve wanted you my entire life?”

"See, that's where things... I mean I shouldn’t have even had the slightest doubt and I _know_ that." Hesitating a moment longer, Jared slid his hands up Jensen's thighs. "Forgive me, please? I won't talk to Chad if you don't want me to - or Christian, and Danneel can say whatever she wants, just don't think... don't... don't send me away." Swaying forward, Jared wrapped his arms around Jensen's waist and pressed his cheek against his mate's ribs. "I'm sorry, I was just... it was nerves from the party and then you were mad-" Jared's breath hitched and he turned his face into Jensen's chest.

“Damnit, Jared, I wasn’t mad,” Jensen laughed, though he wasn’t amused at all. His arms wrapped tightly around Jared and it finally felt a little more like he could breathe again. “You can talk to Chad and Christian; they’re our pack members and I understand you need to have friends that aren’t me to speak to. I’m sorry I was jealous, and that I hurt you so much. It’s so selfish of me to want to be the only one you come to.” Jensen was going to have more than few choice words with Danneel once things were better with Jared; at the moment he couldn’t even spare the energy to hate her the way he knew he would.

Jared’s face was still pressed up against Jensen’s shirt and he clung tightly to him. “I miss Misha, but I only said I wanted to go because... it hurt. I’ve never been lonely until last night - and I felt like I couldn’t breathe or …” Sucking in a lungful of air, Jared let out a small moan and shuffled as close as he could to Jensen.

“I didn’t sleep, not at all. I just didn’t know how to make it better. I knew there was something you weren’t telling me.” Jensen pressed his lips to Jared’s hair, inhaling deep lungfuls of his mate’s scent. “Forgive me Jared, for acting the way I did. Please? Please just let us be better now.”

All Jared could do was nod, his fingers clutching at Jensen's shirt as though he were still a little afraid that he'd suddenly disappear. As far as he was concerned they could stay there for the rest of the day; just being _near_ Jensen again made Jared feel a million times better than he had the night before.

“And tell me you don’t believe what she said,” Jensen whispered, needing just that little thing before he completely ravished Jared. The desire to press up against every inch of him was maddening. “You’re my one and only Jared, and it’s important to me that you believe it.”

Blinking away his tears, Jared pulled back enough to look up at the man he loved. “I didn’t believe her, I don’t believe her - it was just the thought of it that made me so jealous.” A soft sigh escaped his lips and he smiled up at Jensen.

Seeing Jared smile, really smile like he meant it, made Jensen smile as well. “God-” he laughed softly and shook his head. “We’re so pathetic, getting so jealous.” He shook his head and brushed his thumbs over Jared’s jaw. “I was jealous, too. As you probably know.”

Jared nodded, his arms finally loosening their death grip on Jensen’s body. “It’s hard not to feel it,” he muttered softly.

“I know,” Jensen whispered, and then pulled Jared forward, lips crashing hard against Jared’s. He couldn’t help kissing him so intensely, claiming him with his mouth because he _needed_. “I missed you,” he gasped into the kiss, knowing Jared would understand how he could miss his mate even though they were in the same bed.

Somehow Jared managed to get out an "uh huh" between passes of their lips. His breath sped up instantly, the slight pain of Jensen's grip on his arms felt perfect somehow and Jared keened softly, small sounds, desperate as he struggled to press closer to his mate's body.

Arms sliding down, Jensen gripped Jared along the back of his thighs and tugged him up. He fell back on the bed and held Jared as close as he could, tongue thrusting roughly forward into his mate’s mouth as his hands roamed everywhere over the man’s body.

Melting down onto Jensen, Jared finally felt the warmth he'd been missing. He curled over Jensen's body, fingers sliding up through his hair as he tilted his head slightly to give Jensen more access to his mouth. The taste of Jensen, the scent of _them_ made Jared's heart flutter helplessly for a few long moments. He moaned and let his legs fall on either side of Jensen's hips, straddling him and pressing down onto the hard body.

“Never again,” Jensen gasped into the kiss, his hands pushing Jared’s shirt up. “We’ll never go to bed on bad terms again.” It was a promise and a request all in one because he couldn’t stand the thought of feeling that way again.

Pushing Jared back he tugged the man’s shirt off before rolling them both, pinning Jared down on the mattress. He stared down into his mate’s eyes, emotion curling through him. “I love you, so very much, I promise things will never get that bad again.” He wanted to make it up to Jared, wanted everything to be perfect between them once more. “What do you want? Anything, name it, and it’s yours.” He kissed along Jared’s collar bone, lying flat on him just to keep that closeness.

“Just you, and don’t... don’t shut me out when you’re mad. We’re important, you and me. You promised you wouldn’t leave me alone at the party but after we argued you walked away from me.” It still made Jared’s heart ache to say it, even though the pack had been there to comfort him.

Jensen swallowed thickly and brushed his nose over Jared’s jaw, breathing in his mate’s scent as if Jared had been gone completely for the last twelve hours. “I’m so sorry. I just...” he laughed bitterly at himself and shook his head. “Don’t laugh but, I was being petty. I thought you wouldn’t need me, that you didn’t need me.”

“I was just trying not to ruin our night. The party, and Danneel - God.” Jared leaned back a little so he could make eye contact with his mate. “When she said that she’d touched you, that you’d held her in your arms, it was all I could do not to throw her _right_ off the balcony. I didn’t want there to be a big scene - and I knew you’d be angry with her...” Jared licked his lips and moved closer, speaking against Jensen’s mouth. “I was just trying to do the right thing - and then you were so angry I was afraid to tell you.”

“Hey, will you stop saying I was angry?” Jensen pulled back and scrunched his face at Jared. “Seriously, I was _hurt_. Now I’m pissed at Danneel and I’m gonna have a few very strong words for her later, but I wasn’t mad at you. Trust me, you would _know_ if I was mad.” Jensen sighed softly and kissed Jared deeply for a long moment before pulling back again. “Can we be good now?”

Tilting his head slightly, Jared smiled through the hair that had fallen into his eyes. "We can be good now. Wait!” Shoving at Jensen’s chest Jared’s smile changed into a frown. “There’s a new rule.”

“Ugh, rules.” Jensen rolled his eyes but he smiled fondly down at his mate and ran his fingers up along the man’s side. “Alright, lay it on me.”

"You can't _ever_ think that I'm leaving, or that I won't come back. As. As beta I command it. Jensen? I'm yours forever. Fights, misunderstandings, everything. I could _never_ walk away from you. You're my home." Blushing slightly, Jared looked away.

“Okay,” Jensen nodded, bringing his fingers up to push Jared’s head back toward him. “I believe you. I mean, I won’t ever-” Jensen inhaled slowly and exhaled just as slowly. “No matter what, fights or misunderstandings, I’ll always know you’re coming back or staying with me.” He dipped down and kissed Jared once more, speaking into the kiss, “Now we’re good?”

“One more rule.” Jared’s fingers curled into Jensen’s hair and held on tightly.

“God, Jared,” Jensen laughed and worked his way down Jared’s jaw again. “And?”

"You have to let your hair grow longer and we get ice cream on Sunday nights after dinner." Laughing softly, Jared arched up slightly.

“You’re pushing it, mister,” Jensen laughed, but already knew he’d say yes.

“You want us to be good, right?” Jared’s fingers tightened in his mate’s hair. “It feels so nice - the hair, not the ice cream. It’s sexy...hot. I like being able to hold onto you.” It was a complete and total relief to be teasing Jensen, feeling the warmth of laughter rather than the tension.

“Mm, hold on to me, huh?” Jensen’s eyebrows rose, his mind spinning with a whole slew of new mental images. “Do you ever think about...” Jensen bit down on his lip and shifted forward, moving his legs from the inside of Jared’s to the outside so that he was straddling his mate’s hips. He loved the feel of Jared’s hands in his hair, and he was definitely ready to be done with the talking thing.

“Think about … you? Us? You sucking my cock? Yeah. That.” Jared’s body arched up again, his crotch grinding against his mate’s ass restlessly. He could feel the heat building on his cheeks and laughed softly at his forwardness.

“Me and definitely something involving your cock.” Jensen rocked his ass back against Jared, sucking along his mate’s bite mark because it was his favorite spot.

Jared's mind was already spinning. His cock was pressing hard against his jeans, his hands sliding down from Jensen's hair to grip his shirt. "What? What you want? You want me to...” Pulling his hand forward he slid it down the front of Jensen’s jeans, squeezing the hardness he could feel.

A deep moan was pulled from Jensen and he gripped his mate’s shoulders then rolled, pulling Jared on top of him and wrapping his legs around the man’s waist. “I want you to-” Jensen whispered, ass rocking up against Jared as he crushed his lips against his mate’s.

Smiling, curious, Jared slid his hands under Jensen's ass and gripped tightly. "What?" Nosing his way under Jensen's shirt, Jared lapped at the downy hair just above his mate's waistband.

“I want,” Jensen inhaled deeply, not even sure if this was something he could - or should - be asking for. “I want you to fuck me,” he said in a quick rush, closing his eyes as heat slammed hard through him.

“You? What?” Jared wriggled up Jensen’s body and lay flat against him until his mate peered at him through half closed eyes. “You want _me_ to-” Jared’s eyes widened and his cheeks burned.

Jensen could feel his heart skipping a beat and he cleared his throat, staring up at the ceiling. “Is that... I mean, would you be- would you want to?” Jensen knew that there were standards and normality and this was probably something Jared never expected but once the idea hit him it wouldn’t leave.

"I hadn't really thought - I mean, you're my...I never have done that - well, obviously," Jared huffed, embarrassed at his fumbling. "Is that okay?” Jared twisted slightly, hands pressing down into the soft mattress just above Jensen’s shoulders.

“Is what okay? That you’ve never done that?” Jensen’s eyes widened slightly. “Well I didn’t think you would have done it, being a virgin and all.” Jensen laughed a little too loud and watched Jared. “Do you want to? Does it even sound appealing to you?”

Licking his lips, Jared slid down to press up against Jensen’s side. “If it’s what you want.” His hand rubbed over the tight muscles in Jensen’s belly and he smiled, nuzzling in to his mate’s neck. The scent there was strong and warm, all Jensen.

“That’s not what I want to hear.” Jensen pushed Jared back slightly and turned to him, smiling uncertainly. “You wouldn’t want me to fuck you if I was only doing it to please, and if I didn’t want it, too. I know it’s not normal and maybe it’s against the usual practices, so we don’t have to if you don’t want it.”

Jared flicked his tongue over Jensen's ear lobe, then sucked on it for a few moments. "I don't even know, can't we try some things?" The tip of Jared's tongue teased its way along the curling flesh of his mate's ear. "I've never even touched you like that." Heat was coiling tight in Jared's balls, the ache of want that was so familiar to him now.

“You would know if it sounded at all appealing to you,” Jensen murmured breathlessly, his eyes fluttering closed as pleasure curled through him. Automatically, his legs spread a little wider and his body arched toward Jared. “We can try some- whatever. Anything you want.”

“It’s not unappealing, you idiot,” Jared muttered. He pulled back slightly when he realized what he’d said and grinned shyly at Jensen. “I’m just...nervous. Nothing wrong with that, is there?” He tilted his chin a little defiantly and trailed his fingers down Jensen’s chest to flick the buttons on his jeans loose.

Shoving his hand under the thick denim, Jared sighed at the warm firmness of Jensen’s cock under his hand. “You got a problem with me experimenting? Learning?” The very tip of his nose touched Jensen’s briefly before he brushed their lips together in the hint of a kiss.

Jensen moaned and struggled to push up into Jared’s lips, his hips rocking up into Jared’s hands. Even if he was the more dominate of the pair, Jensen thought Jared’s power to work him over was stronger. Jensen turned to putty under Jared’s hands, listening to his deepening voice, feeling the constant but too brief little touches.

“No,” he finally managed to gasp, lifting his hips in hopes that Jared would pull his jeans off. “No problem.” Jensen hadn’t done any of the _experimenting_ Jared was speaking of and his heart slammed hard into his chest just thinking about it.

Jared's body moved against Jensen's in a wave, his chest pressing closer, and his crotch grinding hard against Jensen's hip, fingers stroking the heated flesh cradled under his palm. Pushing his hand deeper he let his fingers brush over the velvet-soft flesh of Jensen's balls, massaging the tender skin and then cupping them against his palm.

He kissed a path along Jensen's jaw, stopping to nip at his earlobe before sliding down to bite hard at the very spot where his _own_ bite was. "If you hadn't come to change me, I would have found _you_."

“You think so?” Jensen half gasped the words, his eyes fluttering open as Jared’s lips slid over that spot on his neck that made every part of him explode with sensation. “Oh Jesus, Jared, right there,” he moaned and pressed his neck up toward Jared’s lips, desperate for more of that feeling, the one that made his gut flip and tingle with pleasure.

Baring his teeth, Jared bit down on the salty skin of his mate's neck. He clenched his jaw _just_ tight enough for Jensen to know he meant it. Each time he passed his tongue over Jensen's skin, Jared slid his fingers a little further down along the man's balls. Jensen's hips were rocking up into Jared's touch, and the strangest feeling of power surged through Jared.

Jensen had never realized just how sensitive his neck was until that moment when Jared’s lips were on his skin, working him over with slow drags of his teeth. His moans were short and staccato, his hands fumbling constantly over Jared’s body. “How’d you get- oh fuck - so good at - _Jesus Christ_.” He hissed as Jared tightened the pressure along his balls, causing Jensen’s hips to arch high off the bed toward his lover.

Jared released his mate's flesh and lapped along the reddening skin. "Had a good teacher," Jared whispered.

Shifting lower, Jared pulled his mate's jeans down over his hips and mouthed his way down Jensen's side. As soon as he had enough room he slid a finger back to press along the cleft of Jensen's ass. "You think that I could make you feel as good as you make me feel?"

“Probably better,” Jensen chuckled softly then trailed off in a moan, rocking his ass slowly against Jared’s finger. The teasing, the lingering anticipation, the idea of what was coming next was driving Jensen completely insane. He swallowed thickly once more and spread his legs a little wider, gripping Jared’s hair tightly. “I think you’re enjoying- this teasing thing.”

Jared rested his cheek against his mate's hip and breathed in the musky scent of Jensen's body. He could tell how turned on Jensen was, could feel it and smell it, sense it with everything he was. Pulling his hand back quickly he stared up at Jensen as he slid his index finger into his mouth and sucked on it.

That was just as hot as everything else, too much for Jensen’s already over-loaded senses and he thought it would be just his luck if he came before they even _tried_. Maybe he wouldn’t even like it, or maybe it would turn out to be the best thing he’d ever experienced; Jensen just _wanted_ it. Forcing his body to relax, Jensen sank back on the pillow and spread his leg wider.

His finger dripping wet, Jared smiled up at Jensen nervously and slid his hand back along the underside of Jensen's cock. "You okay?" He was smirking as he stared up at the sheen of sweat on his mate's neck, the way the man's chest was rising and falling quickly.

“Possibly not,” Jensen laughed weakly and lifted his head once more, peering down at his mate. “If this kills me remember that I love you,” he murmured and dropped back down again.

A rough laugh left Jared's lips and he kissed his way along the peak of Jensen's hip bone as he slid his finger under Jensen's balls again. For a while he just rubbed the sensitive skin _right_ behind the other man's balls, rubbed and circled his finger, teasing and watching until the flush on Jensen's neck had crept up onto his cheeks.

At the same time, as he sucked hard on the smooth skin in the valley of flesh below Jensen's hip, Jared slid his finger back and pressed into the tight ring of muscle he found there.

“Fuck. _Fuck_ Jared,” Jensen groaned, far too loud to be normal, and rocked instantly back against Jared’s finger. He liked the slight burn of the stretch, every little part of it, and he knew instantly that this was what he wanted with Jared, at least once. He needed to feel _more_. His hand pulled at Jared’s hair and he moaned, letting go of his control and doing something he normally never would. Begging.

“Please Jared, _God_ I want you to want it. To want me like that, please.”

Heat sliced through Jared and he gasped against his lover's flesh. "Jesus _Christ_ , Jensen." Getting Jensen's pants off with one hand shaking the way they were was no easy task for Jared. Oh, he managed because the idea of anything between him and pleasing his mate was just something he couldn't accept.

Yanking at the material, Jared finally threw it aside and kissed his way back up Jensen's leg, tongue flicking against the soft hairs on his inner thigh. Panting warm breath over his mate's cock, Jared licked his lips then gazed up at his lover. "Roll over," he said softly.

The request sent a shudder down Jensen’s spine and he met Jared’s eyes for just a moment before he rolled onto his stomach, pulling his knees up under his body. He bit his lip around the next round of begging, swallowing down the desire to control things like he normally would.

“Jensen? It’s okay, right? Me wanting this?” Jared’s hands smoothed over Jensen’s ass and he pressed up against his lover. His own cock was aching, jumping against Jensen’s skin and Jared moaned softly and slid a palm all the way up Jensen’s back to curl into his mate’s hair.

“God, yes,” Jensen groaned and straightened up so he was on his hands and knees. “I want you to want it. To want me like this.” In a way Jensen felt like they would be even more connected now, like with both of them having each other there would be absolutely nothing that could come between them.

Stretching a long arm over to the nightstand Jared picked up the lube and slicked his fingers. He was shaking, nervous and a little unsure but his heart was racing with the familiar _want_ that was ever-present where Jensen was concerned.

His fingers slid back along the crack of Jensen’s ass, lingering, teasing and then he was pushing into that tight muscle again. The heat of his mate’s body was almost shocking and Jared moaned as Jensen’s ass tightened around his finger. He didn’t wait, knowing Jensen could take more - wouldn’t see the _pain_ as a bad thing - and slid two fingers deep inside his lover.

Head dropping to hang between his arms, Jensen inhaled deeply and rocked back against Jared’s fingers. Sure it was shameless but he didn’t care, he wanted Jared to know how badly he wanted this, wanted him. Plus, after the night before and what felt like far too long without Jared pressed up against him, Jensen was desperate for everything he could get.

“God, I want you,” Jensen gasped and rolled his body back, spreading his knees wider.

Jensen's voice - the way he asked for Jared - launched Jared's body forward. "Jen," he groaned softly. Curling his slick fingers around his cock, Jared stroked once then swept the head of it down the crack of Jensen's ass to press just behind his balls. "I want you," he whispered. Slapping his hand flat against Jensen's back he rolled forward slightly, just getting used to the idea of being there, trying to get his mind wrapped around wanting to fuck his mate. _Fuck_ , Jensen. "God," he breathed.

“Do it, Jared.” Jensen sucked in a sharp breath; the teasing heat of the head of Jared’s cock over his skin was too much, far too much for him to stand. “Fuck,” he groaned and rocked back, trying to get Jared in by the motion alone. Now he was certainly acting more than a little needy but he knew Jared understood - sometimes the _need_ was too strong.

Shuddering again, Jared lurched back and lined the head of his cock up against his mate’s ass and pushed forward. The heat that enveloped his cock made him cry out and he couldn't help the way he slammed forward and buried himself in it. Collapsing on Jensen's back, Jared panted, trying to stay still. Every breath was a shudder, each swallow ached with pleasure.

The burn and stretch was intense, more than anything Jensen had ever felt before and his eyes snapped shut as he sucked in breaths to ride out the waves of pleasure. “ _Jared_ ,” he half whispered, half gasped. Balancing himself on one hand he reached up, twisting back until he could grab Jared’s hand and pull it down onto the mattress, threading their fingers together. “God, you’re big,” he laughed shakily, clenching experimentally around his lover.

"Fuck," Jared hissed. Turning his open mouth across Jensen's back he moaned and pulled back slightly. "M'sorry," he whispered. His hips wanted to move and he curled his fingers into Jensen's palm, the nails digging in hard. "Jesus, m'sorry." But he wasn't - he just couldn't get his words to make sense because the heat and pleasure and need to move were killing him.

“S’fine, Jared- go- just-” Jensen huffed a quiet laugh then rocked back, groaning when Jared instantly thrust forward. “Yeah- God Jared, just fuck me,” he groaned and squeezed Jared’s hand hard. He would never get over the feel of Jared stretching him, filling him, and Jensen was already panting uncontrollably.

Jared's hips snapped forward again, Jensen's moans encouraging him. Fear faded and he was left with intense desire, the _want_ to please Jensen and to feel relief from the way lust had wrapped itself around him. He found a rhythm somewhere between too fast and tantalizingly slow, but it was all so much more than he'd expected. Moaning louder, Jared curled his free arm around Jensen's chest and clung to his lover as he almost rutted against him, sliding in and out of that slick, tight heat until he could barely breathe.

Each breath Jensen pulled in was uncomfortable and tight but Jensen couldn’t feel it. Instead, he was focused only on the way it felt to have Jared’s body moving against his. Jensen had never thought he would enjoy being claimed but when it came to Jared, he couldn’t imagine anything better. He swallowed his own moans just to hear Jared’s and it felt like everything in him was about to explode as the sensations nearly overcame him. When the next forward thrust had Jared’s cock hitting Jensen’s prostate, he called out his lover’s name as his vision sparked with stars and his entire body shuddered.

The timbre of Jensen's moan slammed into Jared's chest, his gut twisted with desire and he slammed harder into his lover. Feeling Jensen writhe beneath him, the sweet clench of muscle around his cock was too much. One more moan, and a drawn out rasp of his name and Jared's entire body jolted forward.

When he came he cried out Jensen's name, swore, and then whimpered. Each pulse of come felt like it was fiery hot and Jared's entire body jerked forward. Barely breathing he clung to Jensen, hips twitching forward feebly as his orgasm slithered and wound through his body.

Jensen was teetering so close to the edge that he thought Jared coming would be enough to send him over. When it wasn’t, desire forced Jensen into sharp movement. He knocked Jared back and off of him, spinning until he was pinning his mate down to the bed. In one quick motion he slicked himself with the come on his thighs and shoved hard into Jared, desire making his control snap at the tight pressure clenching around him.

He didn’t stop, simply pulled out and fucked hard forward, his lips claiming Jared’s in a hard and surely painful kiss.

Jared's world was spinning; he couldn't breathe. Boneless and shattered, Jared could still feel the last prickles of his orgasm, and then Jensen was on him. For just a few moments it felt like his mate was tearing him apart, yanking his insides out, then it was lips and tongue, a kiss that wrapped itself around Jared's soul.

There wasn't enough air, nor enough _Jensen_ and when he was finally able to move Jared wrapped his arm around his mate's neck and held on to him. The room settled back around him and Jared rocked his hips up to meet Jensen's powerful thrusts. The pounding of Jensen's cock into him sent sparks of pleasure flying through Jared's body and he moaned, biting down hard onto the corded muscles in Jensen's neck.

With the feel of teeth sinking into his muscles Jensen lost control. His orgasm flared through him with a blinding intensity and he thrust through the rippling waves of pleasure. A string of curses and Jared’s name tumbled from his lips and the moment he stopped coming he collapsed on top of his mate, panting heavily. Every inch of him was shaking, his limbs feeling loose and overworked. “Jesus Christ,” he muttered, eyes closing to ease off the dizziness.

A slight nod was all Jared could manage. His entire body was thrumming with pleasure, the tips of his fingers tingling. Hooking a leg over Jensen's he held him there, keeping him, making sure Jensen knew that he was _his_. Arm still draped around Jensen's neck, Jared mouthed weakly at the bite-mark on his mate's neck, lapping gently at the bruising flesh.

“Didn’t hurt you did I?” Jensen asked quietly, turning toward Jared to kiss the nearest part of flesh he could reach.

"Yeah," Jared said softly. "Was good," he added when he felt Jensen stiffen slightly. Ever since Jensen had found him Jared had been discovering a lot of things about himself.

“Mm, the good hurt,” Jensen murmured, pressing his lips just below Jared’s ear. “Wanna tie you up some time. Spend hours torturing you in all the best ways. Gonna find out all the things that make you tick.”

Jared's entire body shuddered at the thought and he pulled back slightly to look at Jensen. "You tryin' to kill me?"

“Nah, just tryin’ to make you feel so good you won’t be able to feel your legs for days,” Jensen grinned, slowly pulling out of Jared with a groan. “I’m exhausted,” he mumbled, the night before of no sleep, the stress and the worry finally catching up to him, and Jensen collapsed beside Jared, using his shoulder as a pillow. “Just gonna sleep for a little bit, okay?”

“Uh huh.” Jared rolled slightly so he could pull Jensen into the circle of his arms. “I’ll keep you safe,” he said softly.

“Don’t go anywhere,” Jensen whispered, arm tightening around Jared’s waist.

“Never.”

“Got another rule,” Jensen smiled against Jared’s neck, his fingers grazing down to brush over Jared’s smooth ass. “No more going to bed angry or off. We always work things out first.”

“M’kay. And the ice cream one,” Jared mumbled.

Jensen snorted and slid back to kiss Jared deeply. “Yeah and the ice cream one,” he whispered into the kiss before claiming his mate’s mouth once more. The tension was finally gone, his muscles felt pleasantly numb, and he knew they were going to be okay.

Perhaps the mature thing to do would have been to let it go, to just help everyone load up the van and be thankful that Danneel would be gone by the time they returned. But the fiercely loyal and protective part of Jensen couldn’t stand the fact that the girl had hurt his mate. If Jensen had his way, he would do more than just _talk_ to the girl but he wasn’t quite that foolish.

So as Jared and the rest of the pack were finishing loading up the van, Jensen set off to find the girl. It wasn’t that challenging, she was set up with her laptop out on the front porch of the second house and Jensen was more than a little relieved. Being alone in an enclosed space with the girl made being violent far too tempting.

“Hey Jen,” she grinned up at him, setting her laptop to the side. “I was hoping you’d come say-”

“Shut up, Danneel,” Jensen snapped, his jaw clenching as he stared down at the girl. Her mouth snapped shut and her eyes widened but she didn’t question him. “I’m going to say a few things and you’re going to listen. If you know what’s good for you, that is.” He continued to stare at the woman, his eyes hard. “Are you going to listen to me?”

Danneel slowly nodded and though she would likely deny it, Jensen saw just the slightest hint of fear in her eyes.

“Good.” He took a step closer and widened his stance, tensing his shoulders to give off the strongest air of authority he could. “Jared is my mate, the love of my life, and the only person I desire to be with. I find your petty little acts to tear us apart not only annoying but disloyal. One day, not too far from now, Jared will be your Superior and you _will_ obey him in every way.”

Stepping closer, he crouched down so his eyes leveled with Danneel. “But you know what, Danneel? He will never be unfair or unjust, or take out his revenge on you. Because he never for a moment doubted our love; when I told him he was my first I was honest and not even your lie could change that. But if _I_ find out you’ve done something like this again I will see that there is a punishment for your actions. Are we clear?”

Danneel once more slowly nodded, her jaw clenching so tight Jensen could almost hear it.

“I thought so,” Jensen said flatly and stood, stepping back and turning to head for the steps. He stopped when he got there though, and turned to look back over his shoulder. “Oh, and Danneel? If you so much as lay a hand on Jared or anyone in my pack, I will kick you to the curb so fucking fast your head will spin.”

Before she could respond he turned and left, wanting to waste no more time on the girl, satisfied that his message had been clear and to the point. He smiled at his mate as he approached the van, stepping up to wrap an arm around Jared’s middle and draw him in for a kiss. “Almost ready to go?” he asked, pressing harder into the kiss a moment later. Maybe because he was still making up for the painful way things had been between them.

“If you two manage to get off each other for a minute then yes,” Christian grunted as he walked past them.

“I think their post-fight cuddling is adorable,” Sandy said with a wide grin, smacking Jared’s ass, and then Jensen’s as she followed Christian.

Jensen laughed into the kiss and pulled back, forehead dropping against Jared’s. “I’m so in love with you,” he whispered, his heart swelling with the words.

“I kinda like you, too. But you know, if Sandy keeps smackin’ me around like that you might have some competition.” Jared grinned and kissed the corner of Jensen’s mouth.

Scoffing, Jensen shoved at Jared and shook his head. “See if I give you any love, _God_. Try to be sweet and romantic and get replaced with a lesbian.”

“I’m sure you’ll be better at it. I haven’t forgotten what you said you were gonna do.” In fact, Jared had been making a list of things he wanted to try with Jensen. There were a lot of them. “But we have vampires to kill first. And Misha!” Jared bounced forward on his toes.

“We’re killing Misha?” Chad asked as he walked past them. “Does he know this?”

“You’re _hilarious_ , Chad,” Jensen grumbled and shook his head. He was glad Jared was looking forward to seeing Misha and he wanted his mate to be happy, so that was good. He was going to have to work on the whole jealousy thing but they’d cross that bridge later. “Everyone load up, let’s get on the road.”


	5. Chapter 5

Before the van had completely stopped moving Jared was sliding the heavy door open and leaping out. As soon as his feet touched the ground he was running. They’d stopped just outside the city to fill up and Jared had phoned.

He could see Misha standing in the yard and bolted toward him. “Misha!”

Jared slammed into Misha’s chest and they staggered back a few steps and fell to the ground. Straddling Misha's waist Jared grinned down at his friend and brushed some dirt off his cheeks. "I missed you, Misha."

Spitting some dirt out, Misha reached up and messed up Jared's hair, then grabbed him in a head lock and rolled him to the side. "You're stronger ya-" he grunted and shoved at Jared, "-idiot." Laughing, Misha swatted at Jared.

"Don't call me an idiot, dirt bag." Jared rolled them again and pinned Misha to the ground so he could gaze down into his friend's ice blue eyes. "Seriously, I missed you. A lot."

"Me too," Misha said softly. As soon as Jared let go of his arms he wrapped them around his friend. "Now, get me up."

Jared threw his head back and laughed and bounced up to his feet, reaching back down to haul Misha up. He was brushing dirt off Misha’s shirt when Jensen finally got out of the van. “Come say hi, Jensen.”

Jensen had told himself he was going to work on his jealousy issue but when he’d made that promise he hadn’t been intending on seeing Jared straddling Misha and climbing all over him and well, he still remembered the fact that Misha had a _thing_ for his mate. Forcing the feelings aside, however, Jensen crossed to them and smiled at Misha, stepping close to Jared’s side. “Misha, good to see you again.”

Picking some grass out of his hair, Misha laughed and threw it at Jared. Closing the distance between them he hesitated a moment then threw his arms around Jensen. “It’s good to see you again, too.”

Jared grinned at the surprised look on his mate’s face and shrugged. It wasn’t like Misha didn’t _like_ Jensen. Hell - Jensen had saved Misha’s life the last time they were all together.

Jensen hesitated for just a moment before hugging Misha back, laughing softly. “How are things? You been staying out of trouble?”

“Can we just take this stuff inside?” Christian asked Misha as he approached, holding up a bag he was carrying.

Stepping back, Misha held up his hands. “Not hugging you. You _still_ scare me, Christian.”

Jared laughed and bounced over to Christian. He flung his arm over the man’s shoulders and squeezed him. “He’s harmless, all bark and no bite.”

“Right.” Misha rolled his eyes.

“I wouldn’t say _no_ bite,” Chad muttered as he walked past toward the front door.

Jensen snorted a laugh and shook his head. “No modesty in my pack, nothing even close. Jared, stop touching Christian.”

“Oh, sorry.” Jared dropped his arm with a slight smirk on his face. Striding back over to Misha Jared grabbed his friend’s arm and pulled him toward the house. “How’s everything going? What have you been doing?”

“Working, running the store now. You’d know that if you ever stayed in touch. Can’t you … Can’t werewolves get cell phones? Is it a rule or something?” Misha glanced over at Jensen.

“Can I get a cell phone, Jensen?” Jared let go of his friend long enough to bounce back to his mate and slip his arms around Jensen’s waist.

“Uh, sure,” Jensen nodded, even when his mind supplied the mental image of Jared laughing over texts from his friend. “Sorry, we never thought about them because well, we’re all together. I have one phone for family usage. But I’m sure we can get you one without a problem.”

“Oh I hope he gets a really neat one, like an iPhone, with all the games,” Chad grinned and threw his arms over Jared and Jensen. “Please Jensen, can Jared get an iPhone?”

“I feel like a really fucked up father,” Jensen muttered, pushing Chad back playfully and rolling his eyes when Christian growled low in his throat. “Easy, tiger.” His eyes drifted back to Jared and he grinned. “You’re lucky I’m not as bad as Christian.”

Jared’s eyes widened. “Not as... bad...” He burst out laughing and cinched his arm around his mate’s neck until his lips were pressed against Jensen’s ear. “You’re worse than Christian,” he whispered before flicking his tongue along Jensen’s ear.

“I am not.” Jensen shoved Jared back and scowled. “Excuse me, I believe you were just straddling Misha. You didn’t see me growling about that. So, not as bad.” He scrunched his face up in disapproval, poking Jared in the side.

"Straddling me. That sounds naughty." Misha laughed and headed into the house, barely managing to avoid being clobbered by Chad's duffel bag. "God, you people," he muttered.

Grabbing Jensen's hand, Jared held his mate back as everyone wandered into the house. "You okay?" He knew it was difficult for Jensen to understand the friendship between Jared and Misha; his mate put up with it because it meant a lot to Jared.

“Just glad you’re happy.” Jensen smiled and squeezed Jared’s hand. “You want some time with Misha? To catch up and stuff?” When it came down to it, Jared’s happiness came before his petty jealousy and he’d do anything to keep that warm smile on Jared’s face.

Jared’s smile softened and he leaned in to nuzzle against Jensen’s cheek. “Can we catch up together? All of us? I don’t like being away from you.”

“You sure you don’t want some time with just Misha? I mean, I know you tell him things- I know you two have a special friendship and I don’t want to come between that,” Jensen murmured and wrapped his arm loosely around Jared’s waist.

“Jensen? I don’t tell anyone what I tell you. No one.” Jared stared into his mate’s eyes, the soft mossy green colour sparkling in the late day sun.

“Okay,” Jensen muttered, feeling he’d at least given Jared the opportunity to have that time if he wanted it. “We can all catch up together.” He smiled softly at Jared and swayed up toward him.

"Come on." Jared tugged on Jensen's belt. "Let's go visit, and drop some big hints that Katie should cook. God, I love her muffins."

Jared grinned down at Chad. The young blond was spread eagle on the floor, staring bleary-eyed up at the ceiling. "You're drunk, Chad. Misha. Don't give him anymore wine."

Misha laughed and reached down to slide the wine bottle away from Chad.

"So, like I was saying. Jensen told her off, even though he _says_ he didn't. I _know_ it. When he came back from the house he looked entirely too pleased with himself." Jared nodded firmly, flopping his hair down into his eyes.

Reaching out, Misha flicked the hair back out of his friend's eyes and then leaned forward a little to blink up at Jensen. "So, did you tell her off?"

Chad wasn’t the only one who’d had too much to drink. Jensen could feel the alcohol coursing through his veins and blurring his vision, even as his hands roamed along Jared’s back slowly. “Only a little,” he mumbled and shrugged, dipping forward to brush his nose through Jared’s hair.

“Bullshit,” Sandy said far too loudly, giggling when everyone turned to look at her. “I saw the bitch afterward. She fucking looked like she was about to piss her pants.”

“Damn girl, I’ve never heard you this vulgar.” Christian laughed and shook his head, apparently the most sober out of all of them.

“That’s just ‘cause you don’t hear her in bed,” Katie murmured and grinned at Christian before turning to Sandy to capture her lips in a long kiss.

“She was this drunk. I mean, this vulgar. With the bad words, remember?” Chad laughed and half lifted his head, looking toward Christian then dropping back. “In Omaha.”

A loud groan filled the room, as Christian, Jensen, Katie and Sandy all released the noise at once. “What happens in Omaha stays in Omaha,” Katie insisted, throwing a pillow at Chad.

Misha was laughing so hard he couldn’t speak and Jared shoved at him. He’d missed his friend but he’d missed the way it felt to be with everyone. They were happy again, relaxed. _Family_.

Finally managing to calm himself down Misha leaned right across Jared’s lap to slap his hand on Jensen’s chest. “So you really _are_ his like, knight in shining armor or some shit.”

Jared nodded enthusiastically and rested his drink on Misha’s back.

“I am _everyone’s_ knight in shining armor,” Jensen insisted, grinning at Misha then pushing him back as playfully as a drunk person could manage. “You two ever kiss?” He gestured between Misha and Jared, draining the rest of his drink in one go.

“Question fail,” Sandy muttered before climbing onto Katie’s lap.

Jared pushed his hair back off his face. “Aw, Jensen, no - that’s not-”

“I kissed Jared this one night after we came back from a party.” Misha grinned and took a sip of his wine.

Rolling his lips together, Jared sighed and let his head fall back against the couch.

It was quiet for a long moment and Jensen blinked a few times, wondering if maybe he’d drank enough to make him hear things. “Oh?” He looked over at Misha, schooling his voice into casual curiosity. “What kind of kiss?”

Jared tried to sit up but Misha was still kind of flopped across him. "Jensen, I don't think this is a goo-"

"I grabbed him and kissed him because I wanted him to know that I liked him." Misha nodded and leaned forward to blink up at Jensen. "Put all I had into it, too."

Jensen could taste the bile and alcohol crawling up the back of his throat but he swallowed it and nodded, turning away from Misha draped in Jared’s lap because, no, he didn’t need the mental images. “I didn’t know that. That’s- okay.” He slowly nodded, blinking owlishly down at his wine glass.

On the floor Chad cleared his throat. “So Misha, you seeing anyone now? Anyone keepin’ ya busy?” Chad looked at Jared with slightly wide eyes, as if he were trying to silently communicate.

Jared shoved at Misha and finally managed to sit up. “No, tell him the rest.”

“What rest?” Misha fell back against the couch and brushed clumsily at the wine he’d spilled on his shirt.

Tilting his head and raising an eyebrow, Jared stared at Misha. “The rest of what happened-”

“That’s okay.” Jensen held up a hand, shaking his head slowly. “It’s not- I’d rather not know. It’s fine, I mean, it was your life and just because I- well no, things were just different for me. Anyway, it’s fine, it’s all cool. Where’s the wine?”

“I really think you’ve had enough Jen,” Christian said quietly, shaking his head when Jensen reached out for him.

"Tell him, Misha." Jared's expression softened as he looked at his friend.

Rolling his eyes, Misha let out a long sigh. “God. It’s not like I wanna relive it.”

“Please, Mish.” Jared nudged his friend with his shoulder.

“Right after I kissed him, Jared pushed me back. Real sweet like - you know how he is. And he said that he loved someone else.” Huffing quietly, Misha scratched at the side of his nose. “Said he met this guy when he was a kid, that the guy came back for only one night and took him out to see the ocean and - well, you know. Love of his life.” Misha waved his hand dismissively.

Jensen nodded, reaching out to pat Jared’s thigh. “That’s sweet.” It definitely went a long way to settle some of the aches in his chest. Though he’d still rather not think about Misha and Jared kissing. At all.

“It is sweet!” Sandy piped up, grinning at them. “Jared, you’re the sweetest boy in the entire world.”

“Sweet?” Jared folded his arms across his chest. “God, Misha thought I was nuts and I … I waited half my life for you. Didn’t even have sex-”

“Too much information, Jared!” Misha slapped a hand over one ear and looked puzzled when he could still hear.

“Sweet, my ass,” Jared muttered.

“No it _is_ sweet, ‘cause you both waited for each other,” Katie clarified, smiling when Sandy dipped down to gently kiss her neck. “You know, before I met Sandy I’d only ever been with guys, same with her.”

“I was a virgin,” Chad added, laughing when everyone looked at him. “What? I just, you know, I’d fooled around some but no one ever... anyway, Christian was my first.”

“Damn straight,” Christian muttered and laughed, holding out his hand. “Come here.”

Jensen watched as Chad instantly clambered forward, crawling up onto Christian’s lap and settling there.

“I don’t know if it’s sweet,” Jensen said, contradicting himself and shrugging. “People used to think I was crazy, too. Hell, when I came back from the beach and then spent every change running as far as I could to try and find you, my parents were even considering hiring a Private Eye just to track you down.”

“You did that?” Jared’s eyes widened slightly and he turned slightly.

“God, I really don’t want to hear any more sappy Jensen and Jared love stories,” Misha muttered.

“That’s all I did. Looking for you, I mean...” Jensen sighed and took Jared’s hand, threading their fingers together. “Christian, tell him.”

“When Jensen was just forming the pack, I knew I was gonna follow him. And the first thing he told me was that we’d be constantly driving until we found you.” Christian shrugged and stroked a hand down Chad’s back.

“Yeah, that was the disclaimer I got when I joined up too,” Katie added and laughed. “You should have seen him the night we first got here.”

“Alright, we don’t have to make me look stupid,” Jensen grumbled, slumping against Jared’s side. “I was perfectly normal when we got here, just a little excited.”

“He was almost howling out the window,” Chad teased, grinning when Jensen shot him a look. “Seriously though Misha, you got someone? I wanna know.”

“Me? Nah.” Misha drained the rest of the wine from his glass and slid it onto the table. “Maybe one day some wolf will sweep _me_ offa my feet, too.” He grinned at Chad and slipped to the edge of the couch. “Okay, all you coupley-type people are makin’ me ill. _I_ am going to bed. You guys all know where your rooms are, and where... well, you know where everything is. I will see you all in the morning.” Leaning over, Misha planted a big wet kiss on Jared’s cheek then practically crawled across his friend to do the same to Jensen.

Jensen laughed and wiped at his cheek. “Way to slobber, dude. Sleep good.”

“We’ll go make sure he doesn’t fall over on the way to bed,” Katie said as Sandy stood, both girls heading quickly after Misha.

Glancing over, Jensen looked at Christian and Chad until Christian met his eyes and cleared his throat. “Okay well, I’m gonna go fuck Chad. See you tomorrow.”

Jensen choked on a laugh as the pair left, shaking his head slowly. “Much alcohol equals too many confessions.” He turned to Jared, gently brushing his hair back from his brow. “Do you ever regret it?”

“Regret what? Nothing... you’re drunk, Jensen. Let me take you to bed.” Jared leaned into Jensen’s fingers, closing his eyes.

“Just wait,” Jensen muttered, shaking his head again and stopping when it made him feel dizzy. “If I hadn’t met you at the beach, if things had turned out different, then you could have had a normal life. Hell, you could even have been something with Misha; I know how much you love him.” Jensen felt a little sick just asking the question, laying out the situation of _could be’s_ but he was bad at not asking when an idea came to mind.

“Jensen. I’m gonna say this once.” Jared shifted and slid his leg over Jensen’s lap so that he could press up against him. “I love _no one_ like I love you. From the moment I first saw you I knew that you were special - that you were special to me. And then when you came back I knew that all of those crazy dreams I had about loving you, about wanting to be with you - were real. I would have gone with you _that_ night, I’ve told you that, and it’s the truth. I love you.” Taking a deep breath, Jared smiled sheepishly and sat back a little.

The band that had tightened around Jensen’s heart after learning about the kiss eased at Jared’s gentle words. His hands slid up from Jared’s hips, along his sides, continuing up until he was cupping his mate’s jaw. “I don’t always get it, why it works that way, but I’m so glad it does. Because I can’t imagine my life without you. Even if we’re the sappiest werewolves _ever_.” Jensen laughed and kissed Jared’s cheek. “No more Misha-kissing. Deal?”

“No more kissing Misha. Deal.” Jared grinned and slid back off of Jensen’s lap. “Now, come up to bed before you pass out here.”

Jensen huffed and took Jared’s hand, shaking his head. “M’not that drunk, God.” He let Jared pull him up and the room spun dangerously. He stepped closer and wrapped his arms around Jared. “Okay, maybe a little drunk.”

Slipping an arm around Jensen’s waist, Jared edged him in the direction of the stairs. “I would have thought werewolves would be better at holding their liquor.” He laughed softly and tousled Jensen’s hair.

“Drank a lot. Don’t do it often,” Jensen murmured sleepily and wrapped his other arm around Jared, backing him up until he was pressed against the banister. “ _Jared_.” He moaned his mate’s name low in his throat and slid his hand down between them, curling over Jared’s crotch and rubbing slowly. “Tried not to be jealous, tried so hard,” Jensen spoke between kisses along Jared’s neck, not caring that they were still out in the open and he was throwing himself all over his mate.

Warmth spread out from Jensen's hand until Jared's body was alive with it. Arching his back slightly, Jared bowed over the railing. "I know, I could feel it."

“Did okay though, right?” Jensen murmured and slid his lips up to run over Jared’s ear. “All I wanted to do was pin you down right there and _show_ Misha that you were mine and always would be.” He punctuated the words with a hard roll of his palm and bit down on the scarred mark on Jared’s neck. “ _Mine_.” this time he growled the word, pressing even harder against Jared.

Jared was awash in sensations. The liquor-sweet breath from his mate's mouth was scorching hot on his neck and the ache in his swelling cock was pulling his hips into a gentle roll. His hand slid lower on the banister as his knees gave out and he moaned. "Yours... up- We should go upstairs."

“And what if I just want you right here?” Jensen slid his hand up, shoving under Jared’s shirt and brushing over his skin until his fingers were pinching along a nipple, free hand running over Jared’s hipbones. “What if I want,” Jensen said the words deep and breathy against Jared’s ear and slid his hand back down until he could flick Jared’s button open. “-to drop to my knees and suck you right here?”

"OhGod," Jared whispered. "Someone might-" He gasped as Jensen's finger brushed over the flesh just above his boxers. Arching a little more over the banister, Jared gripped it tightly and panted softly. It was the anticipation more than anything, the thought that anyone could see them, could see _Jensen_ on his knees in front of _Jared_.

“You want it,” Jensen chuckled hoarsely and slowly tugged the zipper down. “I can feel that want radiating off of you. You’re almost desperate for it.” With Jared’s jeans open Jensen could work his hand under his mate’s boxers, fingers curling loosely over the head and sliding down the overheated, silky smooth skin. “Tell me you want it Jared, beg me to suck you right here on the stairs.” Jensen sucked at the sensitive patch just beneath Jared’s ear, fingers stroking slow and teasing over his rock hard cock.

"Jensen, c'mon..." Jared's pulse was pounding so loud in his ears that he couldn't even think. His hips were circling restlessly and he grunted when his foot slipped down one step. The wine he'd drunk was still spinning through him, making everything a little warm and fuzzy - except for Jensen's touch. "Don't make me - _God_ \- beg."

“But you beg so pretty,” Jensen hummed with the softest laugh. His wrist pushed along the top of Jared’s boxers until he could pull the man free. The sharp thrill of doing this, knowing the chance of getting caught were incredibly high, was almost too much for Jensen to handle so he gave in and sank to his knees, shifting on the step to get comfortable. He looked up the full length of Jared’s body and he gazed at the glorious flush on his mate’s cheeks even as he leaned forward and swept his tongue over the smear of pre-come slicking the head.

"Oh," Jared breathed. His entire body felt weak and he struggled to stay upright. The banister felt warm under his palms and his fingers were gripping so tight that his hands ached. "More, please," Jared whispered. A shiver of pleasure tripped its way down his body and his hips twisted. "Jensen, I want-" Jared moaned softly.

It felt dizzyingly amazing to have this kind of power over someone, to make Jared so crazy with want, and to hear the begging that came because of it. He parted his lips and sank slowly down over Jared, pausing with every inch to give Jared a chance to adjust. He wanted to drag this out but the way Jared was at that moment, Jensen wasn’t sure he’d last at all. His lips suctioned around Jared and he sucked hard, sliding further down and moaning.

Jared's grip loosened and he slid down the banister before managing to catch hold of one of the rails. Jensen's mouth was so _hot_ , almost scalding on Jared's sensitive skin. Each swirl of his mate's tongue made little bursts of lust skitter across Jared's flesh like sparks from a fire. A small sound bled out of Jared's mouth, weak and pleading and he slid off the banister to land hard on the step.

Jensen's fingers dug hard into Jared's hips and he cried out softly. So much heat, so much pleasure racing through him. "Jensen... please, Jesus, fuck," he hissed. Bracing one foot on the wall, Jared reached down to thread his fingers through his mate's hair. "God, your mouth is like fire."

Jensen didn’t want to stop until Jared was coming in his mouth, until his mate couldn’t control himself in the slightest. He relaxed his mouth and sank further down over Jared, shifting to accommodate the new position of his mate. Moaning around Jared’s flesh filling his mouth, Jensen worked his tongue slowly over him and pulled back, blowing cool air over the saliva-slick skin.

“Want you to come in my mouth, love driving you crazy like this,” Jensen murmured, his voice deeper and thicker than it had been before. Then he was dipping down and pulling Jared between his lips once more, desperate to taste every inch of him.

Jared's hand slid down Jensen's hair weakly as his mate's mouth buried him in wet heat once more. Moaning, Jared's body writhed, his hips following the feel of that tongue, the rumble of deep moans from Jensen's chest.

 _Come in my mouth_. His mate's words echoed through Jared's mind, dark and heavy, thick with lust. Every breath in was a struggle and Jared clawed at Jensen's shirt. "God, please, I can't-" Moaning again, Jared pressed his shoulders hard against the sharp cut of the step below his shoulders.

Jensen could feel Jared’s control slipping; he knew the man was moments from the edge and his hand slid up to cup along Jared’s balls, rolling slowly along his palm. He’d all but forgotten where they were at this point, his mind instead focused on each of Jared’s gasped pleas, his needy breaths.

Eager to push Jared over the edge, Jensen stretched his finger out over the taut skin and circled Jared’s entrance slowly with just the tip of his finger.

Just the nudge of Jensen's finger against his ass was enough to slice through Jared's control. His orgasm was like something tearing through his body, cutting him apart. Jared's eyes slammed shut and he flung his arms out wildly, one slapping against the wall, the other gripping the wooden railing.

His entire body lifted, hips snapping up to slam his cock _deep_ into Jensen's throat as the first burst of hot come pulsed from his cock. "Jen-"

Jensen’s hands withdrew quickly to curl at Jared’s hips and pin him back down. As he swallowed and swallowed he eased off of Jared’s cock, dragging the musky, bitter taste of come along his tongue. He pulled back and rubbed Jared’s skin softly as the man shook in the wake of his release.

Climbing up Jared’s body, Jensen hummed softly and lifted his head off the stairs. “You okay?” he asked softly, smiling down at Jared and licking his swollen lips.

Jared shook his head slightly from side to side and cracked one eye open to peer down at his mate. Parting his lips, he kissed Jensen, tasted his own come and another shiver of pleasure jolted his body. Whimpering softly, Jared let go of the railing and they slid down one step. Laughing low and quiet, Jared hooked a leg over Jensen's ass. "Take me to bed," he whispered.

“Gladly,” Jensen murmured and shifted back, pushing up to his feet and pulling Jared with him. His gaze swept over the top floor, mildly relieved to see it unoccupied. “That was pretty hot,” Jensen said softly, grinning over at Jared. “You think?”

"Uh huh." Jared grinned and pushed hair back off of his face. The step behind him felt entirely too high and he stumbled slightly as he tried to move toward his previous bedroom. "Was hot. Was _very_ hot."

Stumbling again, Jared laughed softly. "Ya broke me," he whispered.

“Good, I like you a little broken.” Jensen smirked at Jared then tugged him close and led him the rest of the way upstairs to Jared’s bedroom. He helped Jared shed his remaining clothes and laid him in bed, quickly sliding in behind him when he’d rid himself of his own clothes.

With Jared on his side, Jensen tucked up behind and rubbed his cock along the crack of Jared’s ass. “Mind if I just take care of myself while you rest?” Jensen half chuckled, half moaned, and bit down at Jared’s shoulder.

“MMm.” Jared lifted his arm to curl his hand around the back of Jensen’s neck. Their bodies fit together perfectly, the curve of hips, the angle of knees - _perfect_. Rocking his hips back, Jared pressed his ass against Jensen’s hard flesh.

Jensen was already more than halfway there; having Jared fall apart because of him was too damn hot to be ignored. He ground his body against Jared’s and looped his free hand over his mate’s middle, eyes closing. “God your body, even just like this,” he moaned low in his throat and his orgasm flared through him, his hips twitching hard forward against Jared as he forced the man to twist so their lips could meet.

Jared kissed Jensen hard, his tongue sliding forward to push into his mate's mouth. Moaning quietly, he slid his hands over Jensen's and threaded their fingers together. The warmth of Jensen's release spread between their flesh and Jared pulled back far enough to gasp in some air. He stared into his mate's eyes, emotion welling up inside of him. Jensen's eyes were heavy-lidded, his cheeks rosy, and his mouth was parted like his lips were just waiting for Jared's to return. "You're beautiful," Jared whispered.

“Mmhmm,” Jensen hummed softly and laughed, reaching behind him to grab a towel that was still on the nightstand. “You’re drunk too, but we won’t dwell on that, much.” He continued to chuckle and pulled back enough to wipe off Jared’s back. “And we won’t tell anyone that I just dry humped you like a thirteen year old.”

Rolling his eyes Jared waited impatiently for Jensen to settle back against him. “Can I ask you something?”

“Don’t gotta ask to ask, Jared,” Jensen murmured, draping his arm over Jared’s middle again and pressing as close forward as he could manage.

“Maybe, if Misha wanted one day, could he come and visit? Come and see our home. Your home?” Jared nestled down into the bed. He’d missed being at home.

“Our home,” Jensen corrected and squeezed Jared tightly. “Yeah, he can. Though if he doesn’t want a werewolf mate I suggest he not come while we’re hosting social events.”

“You think maybe he could find someone?” Jared’s eyes widened a little. Having Misha with them would be great, well, parts of it would be. It wasn’t like he would actually want Jensen to be jealous all of the time. “Maybe that’s why I found him. Maybe he belongs to someone.”

A little self-satisfied smile crept onto Jared’s face and he sighed happily.

“Yeah that’s probably it,” Jensen laughed and kissed Jared’s shoulder. “Because you are that amazing. Let’s go to sleep now, okay?”

Chuckling softly, Jared closed his eyes. “Yessir.”

“You’re gonna what?” Misha sank down onto one of the empty chairs at the dining room table. He reached out to pour Jared some more coffee then froze when he caught Jensen’s eye and set the pot back down. “Vampires? I _really_ don’t like those things.”

“Which is why we think it’s best if we take care of the issue so that we all know that you’re safe here in town.” Jensen stepped forward and laid his hand on the back of Jared’s neck, reaching out for the coffee pot. “Don’t worry, Jared’s life won’t be in any real danger.”

“Me and Chad are gonna kick some vampire ass,” Jared blurted out. Flipping his hair back he held up his fist until Chad bumped it.

Misha raised an eyebrow and glanced up at Jensen. “Really?”

Clearing his throat, Jensen dropped his gaze and gently stroked Jared’s hair. “Well, I’m not so certain about that, Jared. We might need you to run back up, make sure no stragglers get away.” He’d been considering the best way to tell his mate that he wasn’t going to be in the middle of the action and if he didn’t want to flat out lie now was the time.

“Back up? No way. No.” Jared shook his head hard and leaned forward out of Jensen’s reach. “That’s not fair. If you’re going, I’m going. What about Chad?” Glaring over at Christian, Jared raised his eyebrows.

“Chad’s fighting,” Christian mumbled and Jensen shot him a look. He shrugged and looked away. “I lost that battle. Not letting him fight wasn’t worth being deprived of sex for as long as he was angry.”

“Great, way to stick your guns, Christian,” Jensen rolled his eyes and sighed, looking toward Jared. “Look, you haven’t even been through your second cycle yet, you’ve never fought a vampire - I can’t take the risk that something will happen to you.”

“You’re risking your own life. You’re risking Chad’s and Sandy’s. I’m worth _no_ more than they are. So if I tell you that I won’t have sex with you otherwise, I can go?” Jared knew he was being a bit childish but he didn’t _ever_ feel right when Jensen was away from him and knowing that his mate was going off to fight would only make it worse.

“Jared, what about-” Misha spoke softly, reaching for Jared’s shoulder.

“Stay out of this, Misha. I’ve changed since I was here. I’m stronger and faster and Jensen knows that. He’d just trying to … trying to keep me _safe_ because he’s over-protective.” Jared folded his arms and slid down in his chair slightly.

“I’ve got everyone in mind with this decision,” Jensen defended quietly, stepping back from Jared. “You have no idea how to fight a vampire and you know that everyone would put themselves at risk if it meant keeping you safe. I’m sorry but it’s really just the best decision.”

Standing up, Jared kicked his chair back and turned to stare Jensen down. “And what if you don’t come back? huh? What then?”

Misha stood and grabbed Jared’s wrist. “Jay, c’mon, he’s right. What about me? You know I’ll be worried and scared shit-less if you’re out there, too. Can you stay here with me?”

Frowning, Jared turned to glance down at Misha then turned back to Jensen. “Fine. I’ll stay here with _Misha_.” Dropping his gaze he turned and headed out to the kitchen.

Pursing his lips, Misha looked over at Jensen. “Well, that went well.”

“I wasn’t expecting him to be pleased.” Jensen sighed and rubbed at his brow, shaking his head a moment later. “Might be sleeping on the couch tonight,” he grumbled and headed out of the room, stepping into the kitchen and leaning against the counter. Jared seemed entirely focused on getting his glass of water and Jensen cleared his throat. “I just want to know you’re safe, I’ll fight better knowing that.”

Jared set the glass down gently on the counter and closed his eyes for a few moments. “And what if something happens to you? And what if you don’t come back, Jensen? Have you thought about that? What if, because I’m not there - I can’t …” His fingers curled over the end of the sink and he dropped his head.

The thought of losing his mate was terrifying. Without Jensen he would have nothing. No reason to even be alive.

“That’s not going to happen, I swear. This is hardly my first vampire fight. And you know, I got this great guy and I don’t really want to give him up just yet.” Jensen crossed to Jared and reached out, rubbing his arm softly. “You trust me, right? Then trust that I can win this and come back to you.”

“Then you gotta promise that you’ll teach me to fight when you come back. And I mean a real promise - not one that we’ll just forget about later. This is the _last_ time you get to go out to do something like this without me. You got it?” Clenching his jaw, Jared stared down at the sink.

“I promise, absolutely. If you had been given the chance to experience more than one cycle it wouldn’t be like this Jared, it’s not like I don’t want you there. I’d give anything for you to be fighting at my side, seriously.” Jensen pressed a little closer and reached out to brush his hand through Jared’s hair. “I mean it.”

Still frowning, Jared turned into Jensen’s touch and stared at him. “If you get hurt I’ma kick your ass. Pack leader or not.” He hated that it was so impossible to stay angry with Jensen for any length of time.

“I believe it,” Jensen murmured and pulled Jared in so their lips could meet. “‘Sides, Misha’s probably gonna be worried about me, you need to stay here and keep him calm.” Jensen slowly grinned, arms sliding around Jared’s body to pull him in for a tight embrace.

“Don’t joke about it. It’s serious. I’m gonna be worried sick. Misha... Misha’s just Misha. He’ll only be worried ‘cause I am.” Grudgingly falling a little closer, melting against Jensen’s chest, Jared sighed. “And if _any_ of you get hurt you gotta _let_ me take care of you when you come back. I expect you to order it.”

“Yes sir,” Jensen whispered, trying not to laugh. He pressed his lips to Jared’s temple and sighed softly. “We’ll be okay Jared, I know it.” He was used to giving off a strong level of confidence and he hoped Jared believed him because he didn’t want his mate worrying himself sick.

“I’ll have a first aid kit ready and I wanna know exactly how long you’re gonna be gone. And-” Jared tilted his head slightly as he thought. “And we’re getting cell phones tomorrow. Three. One for me, one for you and one for Chad. Or you can’t go.”

“One for Chad?” Jensen’s brows rose. “Really? That’s how your priorities lie? I won’t tell the rest of the clan.” He laughed and shook his head. ““We’ll get cell phones tomorrow and we’re doing this in one go, at sunrise in a couple of days, when they’re weakest in the daylight. If things go well we’ll be back before lunch.” If things didn’t go well… Jensen wasn’t thinking about it.

“Fine,” Jared muttered.

“Not gonna make me sleep on the couch?” Jensen jutted his lower lip out, hands slipping under Jared’s shirt.

“You said no more going to bed mad. I’m not mad. Are you mad?” Trying hard to fight off his smile, Jared shoved gently at Jensen’s shoulder.

“Mad? Why on earth would I be mad?” Jensen grinned at Jared and dipped down, gently kissing along his neck. “Still love me, then?”

“God, you’re hopeless.” Jared laughed softly and circled his arms around Jensen’s neck.

Jensen huffed and half pushed Jared away. “Fine, I don’t need you to love me. Misha will love me, I know it.”

“Stop looking at me like that Jared, I’ll be back in a few hours.” Jensen sighed and shook his head, looking up from the satchel he had been packing. “I swear, we’ll all come back in one piece, and we’ll make the world safer. Or at least this town.”

Jared huffed out a breath and pushed up onto the kitchen counter. “You’re not some super hero. You’re mine.” He folded his arms across his chest and hugged himself tightly, trying to fight off the tension that was gnawing away at him.

“And I promise this isn’t going to be my new part time gig; _Jensen the Vampire Slayer_ just doesn’t have that ring.” Jensen was trying for humor but it wasn’t working, Jared didn’t look all that amused. “Jared, it’s going to be fine, I swear.” He stepped closer and in between the V of Jared’s legs. “Trust me.”

“I _trust_ you. I _don’t_ trust vampires. Just come home to me. All in one piece. Okay?” As Jared draped his arms over his mate’s shoulders his cell phone binged loudly on the counter beside him and he peered down at it. “It’s Chad. He’s coming downstairs.”

“And he had to text for that?” Jensen’s brows rose and he rolled his eyes. “The minute you start texting Chad from bed is the minute those phones get turned off.” He squeezed Jared’s thighs then slid back, moving over to once more check everything in the bag. He wanted to be completely sure of everything they had, just to be safe.

“You’re packing like you’re going away for days.” Kicking his heels gently against the cupboard doors Jared stared over, watching as Jensen’s hands moved quick and sure over everything. “What are you taking?”

A loud thump sounded from upstairs and Jared glanced up. When he lowered his gaze once more Misha was standing in the doorway to the kitchen. “I think Chad broke the bed upstairs. I told him not to … well, you don’t want to know what they were doing. I have no control over these people.”

Jared laughed softly and slid down off of the counter. “Jensen’s packing like he’s going on a very long trip,” he said as he leaned over to peer into Jensen’s bag.

“They’re just weapons, we don’t know how many of them will be in the nest, and it never hurts to be safe,” Jensen rationalized before swatting Jared’s hand away when he reached in for something.

“I didn’t do it!” Chad yelled as he entered the room, grinning at them and then sobering almost instantly. “If anyone asks, it wasn’t me.”

“You should start showing me how to use weapons tomorrow morning,” Jared said quietly. “And Chad? Generally? You’re responsible for most things.”

Misha shook his head and walked over to the fridge and yanked the door open. “Chad, I’m going to start charging you a damage deposit when you stay here. Or Christian. He’s just as bad as you are. It’s like you feed off of each other.” Closing the door with his hip he put several bottles of water on the table. “Take those.”

“Yes sir.” Jensen rolled his eyes and grabbed the water bottles, shoving them into the satchel. He forced himself not to go through the supplies again, instead closing it and pushing it back.

A moment later Christian came in the room, looking less than pleased and smacking Chad’s arm. “Why I put up with you I’ll never know.”

“You love me,” Chad insisted, and walked around to drape his arm over Jared’s shoulders. “Sure you don’t want me to stay back here? They could handle things without me, I’m sure.”

Leaning his head against Chad’s, Jared sighed. “Someone young and strong has to go with them.” He was pouting. It was ridiculous and pointless, but it was strange being on the outside. He wasn’t going and while everyone else was concentrating on getting ready, feeling the buzz of anticipation, Jared was just worried.

“What did he break this time, Christian?” Misha padded over to the table and sank down.

“Oh uh, nothing Misha, don’t worry.” Christian pushed a hand up through his hair, looking a little uncomfortable.

“We just won’t talk about it,” Chad added, grinning at Misha.

“Am I the only one who’s mildly offended by Jared’s implication that I am neither young nor strong?” Katie asked, having slipped into the room without being noticed.

“You’re strong and beautiful,” muttered Jared. Normally, there was nothing he loved more than the banter they all fell into so easily. It was especially heart-warming the way everyone seemed to just accept Misha but Jared’s heart was heavy.

Reaching a finger out he hooked it over Jensen’s belt and stared up at him with a smile he hoped looked real enough to fool his mate.

“We’ll be back before you know it,” Jensen said softly and dipped forward to kiss Jared before straightening up and clearing his throat. “Okay everyone, listen up.”

The pack quieted instantly, turning to look at Jensen. He looked at each of them in turn - Sandy, who was tucked under Katie’s arms and Christian, who had been pulling Chad away from Jared, presumably to ruffle his hair or something, Misha, who had become sort of an honorary pack member, and finally at Jared, who looked sad and worried.

Swallowing thickly, Jensen cleared his throat once more and grabbed the pack. “This is our one shot. We do this, we kill them all, and it’s a success. But if we leave even one then it could trigger a war we just don’t want. Don’t take unnecessary risks; don’t think a vampire can’t kill you because of what you are. I have absolute faith in all of you, I know we can do this. And there’s my pep talk.”

“A little rough in the middle but I think we get the jist,” Katie smirked and walked around the counter and tugged Jared into a hug. “I won’t let him out of my sight,” she murmured, kissing his cheek.

Jared grabbed on hard and squeezed Katie. “I’m countin’ on it.”

Misha stood and patted Jensen on the shoulder. “Don’t do anything stupid, and bring everyone home. I don’t like tension. I’ll be in the living room, Jared.” Punching Chad as he passed, Misha laughed quietly and left the room.

One by one everyone came through to hug Jared, the mood officially solemn now that they were less than an hour out from their fight. Jensen fidgeted with the straps on the weapons bag until Christian walked past and took it from him, embracing Jared for just a moment before heading out the door.

When it was just them, Jensen stared hard down at the counter for a long moment before clearing his throat for the third time and turned to Jared. “So I’ll call you the minute we’re out of there, okay?”

Jared managed to stay on his chair for about ten seconds and then he launched forward and slammed into Jensen harder than he’d intended. “Don’t go. It feels all wrong.” Nuzzling into Jensen’s hair, Jared held on tightly to his mate’s shirt.

Inhaling shakily, Jensen wrapped his arms around Jared and held him close. “It’ll be fine Jared, I promise. If we get there and things feel off I promise we’ll call it off.” Jensen had made thousands of promises over the last few days but he understood Jared’s worry, he was feeling the same - he simply couldn’t show it as much.

Nodding slowly, Jared held on tighter. “Okay. Just. Yeah. Okay. Be safe. You know I love you, right?” As his heart thumped away hard in his chest Jared found it impossible to step back.

“I know. I love you, too,” Jensen whispered and squeezed Jared even harder. When he tried to pull back his mate kept him in place and he laughed uneasily. “Gonna need to let me go Jay, can’t come back if I don’t ever leave.”

“I know,” Jared said softly. Loosening his hold slightly, he dragged his lips along his mate’s cheek and crushed their lips together. It was a little desperate and Jared’s stomach twisted painfully until the heat of the kiss shoved it aside.

Jensen allowed Jared to control the needy kiss, his hands roaming along Jared’s body slowly. Then he pulled back, resting his forehead on Jared’s. “Just believe that I’ll be back, okay? You’re killin’ me here but you know that this needs to be done.”

“I believe you,” Jared whispered. He just hoped that it was all in Jensen’s control. The hardest thing he’d done in a very long time was to pull back from Jensen’s embrace, standing there with his hands jammed in his pockets because it was the only way he could stop himself from reaching out again.

“I’ll talk to you soon.” Jensen just stared for a long minute because he needed that lingering image of Jared to get him through his. Stepping forward, he gently kissed Jared one more time and squeezed his arm before forcing himself to walk past his mate and head for the door. The sooner they did this the sooner he could be home and yeah, he would train Jared because he couldn’t this again without him.

Finally outside, Jensen headed for the passenger seat of the van and climbed in, slamming the door behind him. It was quiet inside and Jensen waited, listening to Katie’s inhale before shaking his head. “Let’s just go.”

Christian started the car and Jensen watched the door, not sure if he could handle seeing Jared one last time but wanting to anyway. His fingers pressed to the glass of the window until they’d disappeared from view of the house and Jensen felt something tighten across his chest. He could do this.


	6. Chapter 6

It wasn’t much in the way of a _nest_ , really. It wasn’t like Jensen had expected a house, or some gothic manor, but he’d certainly anticipated better amenities than an old shipping plant that was littered with boxes and packing material. Christian and Chad had already scouted out the building a few nights prior while the vampires were out so they didn’t have to search for the sleeping area.

Jensen was allowing Christian to lead since he knew the way and that left the rear for Jensen, ready to catch any of the vampires that might attempt an escape. Or to stop any that might come in through the door; it wasn’t the safest spot to be, that was for sure.

The tension blanketing them was thick and Jensen wanted to gather them all close and keep them from this. It was a horrible double-edged feeling, knowing that as the pack leader, he sometimes needed to lead them into battle, which ironically, was at war with his over-protective urge to keep them from harm all together. After all, these four people had been his companions for so long that they were his real family, and without Jared there to settle him, Jensen wasn’t sure he was strong enough anymore.

They were rounding the corner when Jensen suddenly spotted the gathering of vampires. They were strewn across beds and chairs, sleeping on top of each other, spread about as if they didn’t have a care in the world. They were all young in appearance, wearing modern clothing, mostly gathered around a slightly older man that Jensen could peg instantly as the coven leader.

So was this the vampire’s evil master plan? To make a bunch of vampires that were young and too foolish to know better and then set them free on the town? Jensen understood these night creatures, knew that they required blood. He knew that the enforced curfew had to make their existence more complicated, but he also knew that they could use other sources for blood; why they felt the need to kill humans was beyond Jensen’s comprehension.

Looking up, his eyes caught Christian’s and Jensen nodded before sliding along the back, working his way around to the leader. If they could kill him first the rest would go down easier. Some vampire lore suggested killing the maker would kill the rest but Jensen didn’t believe it. There was a neatly filed stake in his hand and Jensen gripped it tightly, creeping up behind the vampire, using all of the heightened senses he’d gained as a werewolf to keep his presence undetected.

With a glance over his shoulder he caught Chad’s eye and nodded, plunging his stake forward into the heart of the leader as Chad and Sandy yanked hard at the large flat planks that covered the windows. Several loud and eardrum-shattering screams echoed through the room and for a moment everything was thrown into confusion as clouds of dust rose up and the vampires just out of the line of direct sunlight stumbled back further into the shadows.

There seemed to be a moment of pause as the still-surviving vampires tried to take in what was happening, and then one of the males screamed out an order in a language Jensen didn’t know and the coven moved forward as one.

“Katie!” Sandy shouted, running across the room to quickly jump onto the back of a female vampire that had a hold of Katie by the hair and was angling for her throat.

The leader taken care of, Jensen hurried toward the door once more, getting there just in time to catch a vampire who’d been attempting to get away. He slammed the creature up against the wall, staking him quickly before turning back. His eyes darted to Katie and Sandy, who seemed to have handled the female vampire and had moved on to a pair tearing at planks on the far wall to try and make a getaway.

Another vampire collided with Jensen’s middle and he struggled for a moment with the creature, controlling him before he flipped them both and managed to slam his stake through a heart once more. Jensen jumped to his feet, looking toward Christian who was successfully juggling two vamps, then over to Chad.

A vampire had a hand around Chad’s throat and was lifting up, sliding the younger werewolf up along the wall. Jensen moved before he could really process the situation, hand lifting even as he watched Chad’s eyes flutter closed and the flailing of his legs cease to nothing. Jensen drove the stake hard into the vampire and stumbled forward, catching Chad as he collapsed and laid him quickly down on the floor.

“Chad? Come on, Chad, you’re fine,” Jensen’s voice was a quick whisper as he felt for the faint pulse on Chad’s wrist. “You’re gonna be okay,” Jensen murmured, looking up toward Christian who hadn’t noticed his mate’s injury yet.

Just as his lips parted and the call of his friend’s name formed on his tongue something slashed hot and sharp across Jensen’s side. He curled forward on instinct, sucking in a pained breath but forced himself up. If he gave in to the desire to collapse it would leave Chad vulnerable and the man couldn’t survive another attack.

Forcing himself up to his feet Jensen spun and drove his stake hard into the vampire, stumbling under the sharp flare of pain burning through him. “Chris,” he called out, his voice hoarse and worn, hand pressing hard to the stinging in his side.

He watched as Christian staked the last vampire and then turned to him, the smile on his lips fading as his eyes drifted down to the ground. “Chad!” he nearly screamed and was across the room in less than three steps, falling to the floor beside his mate. “Chad, Chad wake up – Jensen, what the hell happened?”

Jensen struggled with his vision for a moment but he didn’t want to worry Christian further so he swallowed down the cry of pain building up in him. “He’s fine. He’s- Chris, he’s gonna be fine.”

“What’s happening?” Sandy skid to a halt beside them, her eyes wide. “Chad? Oh God, is he okay?”

“He’ll be fine, right Christian?” Katie said quickly, kneeling and reaching out for Chad.

“Don’t touch him! He’s fine, just, don’t-” Christian was pulling Chad up into his arms, holding him tightly.

“Guys,” Jensen whispered, swaying softly from side to side.

“Come on let’s get him out to the van,” Katie insisted, rolling her eyes when Christian hissed as she reached out again. “And are you going to carry him alone?”

“I can’t believe we did it!” Sandy called out, jumping up and down as the situation hit her. “We killed them all! Jensen did you see- Jensen!”

Jensen saw Sandy reach for him and as he extended his arm, he frowned at the bright blood dripping down his hand before everything went dark.

Jared had been mid-way through a sentence when the front door burst open and slammed against the wall. Misha swore and practically leaped across Jared or he would have been up on his feet sooner.

“Christian,” he said numbly. Christian’s face was nothing but hurt and worry and the reason why was immediately obvious. In his arms the man held his mate; Chad was unconscious, cradled against Christian’s chest.

Eyes widening Jared launched forward. “Misha! Get the first aid stuff and bring it in here. Now.” Reaching out Jared smoothed Chad’s hair back from his forehead and saw a darkening bruise on his young friend’s neck. “God, Christian... what the-”

Jared’s eyes snapped up when he realized that no one else had followed Christian in. “Christian?”

“Jared,” Christian sucked in a quick breath, meeting Jared’s eyes and shaking his head. “Jensen is... he’s in the van.”

Jared's heart thudded away but for a few long moments he couldn't do anything but stare at the red tail lights visible through the open door. _He's fine_. _He promised._ "M-Misha, help Christian. Christian? _Let_ him help."

Swallowing down his fear Jared jogged outside and stopped abruptly at the side door. Sandy was covered in blood; her shirt was glistening in the light - dark blood still wet. Three heartbeats later, Jared was staring down at his mate. Jensen's shirt was dark red, wet with his own blood and Katie was holding someone's jacket against his side. His skin was pale, and Jared thought for the briefest moment that his mate was gone. "Katie..."

“We have to get him inside Jared, I don’t think the wound is that deep but I don’t- I couldn’t look and I was trying and-”

“Katie,” Sandy whispered softly, reaching out to squeeze her arm before looking back at Jared. “He’s breathing.”

"Okay." Relief flooded through Jared. It was something. He would hang on to that. If Jensen was breathing, then Jensen could be okay. "I've got him."

Leaning down, Jared slipped an arm under Jensen's knees and one under his neck. He spoke softly, steadily. "Katie, you try and keep the pressure on while I carry him inside. Sandy? Get inside quick and tell Misha what's happened. Go now, it's okay. Katie's good, right Katie? You with me?"

Hauling Jensen up against his chest, Jared stared across into Katie's wild eyes.

“Yes, I’m with you.” Katie nodded, looking over at her mate. “Go on.”

“Got it,” Sandy nodded, her calls of _”Misha!”_ ringing through the front of the house.

“Jared, he’s fine, he’s going to be okay, he has to be fine. Jensen is, he’s just… he’ll be okay.” Katie blinked up at Jared and nodded. “I’m good, I swear.”

"Ok, let's go. Katie, stay beside me." Jared smiled shakily and nodded at Katie as he lifted Jensen up into his arms. He waited, arms trembling slightly as Katie climbed to her feet and somehow they managed to maneuver out of the van without starting up the blood flow again.

The sidewalk up to the house had never felt longer but Jared was relieved to see Misha standing right at the door. As soon as he saw them Misha headed down and slipped an arm under Jensen's shoulders to take some of his weight. "What was it, Katie? Was he stabbed?"

“I don’t know, none of us saw it happen. I mean, I saw Chad - he was up against the wall and Jensen went and took the vamp out.” Katie inhaled shakily and shook her head. “I thought everything was good. We killed them all and then I don’t know, we checked on Chad and Jensen just... there was all this blood and he passed out, nearly took Sandy down.”

“Where do you want him?” Christian called out from the top of the stairs. “I can get - I’ll put something down - is he conscious? Should we go to the hospital? Jared?”

"Christian," Jared's voice was firm. "We can't take him to the hospital. There’s no logical way to explain the injury without drawing unnecessary attention. I'm not risking the pack's safety. Jensen would never do that." He grunted softly as they managed to get in and close the door, then sank to his knees as they lay Jensen down on the floor.

Stroking his mate's hair back, Jared leaned down and whispered, "You're okay, you're home. I'm here." For just a moment he closed his eyes against the sting of tears, then sucked in a breath and looked up. The pack was gathered around, all of them looking like they were nearly in shock.

"Okay. Misha, take over for Katie. She needs a break." Nodding over at Sandy, Jared smiled. "San, can you get me some of the clean towels from the upstairs closet? Christian, where's Chad? Is he okay?"

“He’s okay, I’m getting some ice for his neck. He’s gonna have a headache I think but, I mean, he’ll be fine. It’s not anything compared to...” Christian stopped just above them, his eyes wide. “What can I do? What do you need?”

“Towels, here,” Sandy said, holding out the towels, her hands trembling slightly. “There’s so much blood,” she whispered, her eyes as wide as Christian’s.

“There is,” Jared said. "Christian, I need you to find a suture kit in the box of first aid stuff. That’s sterile water in the small bottle. Sandy, lay the towels out on the floor so we can rest him on something soft. Misha? We're gonna have to take the jacket off in a second to get a look at the wound. Clean and stitch." Looking around, he smiled and then nodded firmly. "Go... he's gonna be okay. Christian, right after you bring me the water I need you to check on Chad."

“Got it.” Christian nodded, turning and moving like he felt entirely better now that he was being given orders.

“Like this?” Sandy asked, spreading out the towels and smiling nervously when Jared nodded.

Everything was fuzzy black and painful and Jensen didn’t want to wake up but he could feel his body twitching, his mind reeling, and then he heard Jared’s voice in the distance. “Jare?” he whispered, turning toward the voice of his mate and blinking slowly.

“Hey, you scared me.” Jared’s hands settled on Jensen’s face. “What happened? Can you tell me?” He glanced up at Sandy and smiled and then looked back down at Jensen. “I need to know what happened.”

“Needed to save Chad,” Jensen smiled grimly and tilted into Jared’s touch, hissing when movement caused a ripple of pain to rush through him. “Fuck. God, some vamp had a knife. S’it bad?” He reached out but his hand didn’t seem to want to go as far as it needed toreach Jared.

“Here you go, Jared.” Christian stepped up to them, holding out the needle and thread. “Jensen, you’re up.”

Jensen blinked over at his friend, soft smile on his face. “Christian, how’s Chad?”

Christian laughed and shook his head. “That’s so like you. He’s gonna be fine. Need to take some ice up. You good?”

“Yeah,” Jensen whispered and turned to Jared. “S’good. Jared’s got me.”

Jared grabbed Jensen's hand and threaded their fingers together. "Just gonna look now. Gonna probably have to stitch you up. You need something for pain?" Jared's other hand was stroking Jensen's hair back.

Misha shifted slightly and reached for a clean towel. “You wanna move him first, Jay?”

“Jen? Can we move you?” Jared’s thumb stroked over Jensen’s eyebrow and he smiled down at his mate. “Just real quick?”

“Okay,” Jensen whispered, bracing himself. There was a flare of pain and he cried out when they moved him, his eyes squeezing shut hard. “Jesus Christ,” he gasped and sucked in a slow, uneven breath. “Painkillers. Yes.”

“I’m on it,” Katie said from somewhere Jensen couldn’t see, heading quickly out of the room.

Jensen was having trouble breathing and he looked up at Jared with pain-blurred eyes. “Told ya I’d come back,” he murmured, not wanting to admit to how much he was hurting.

"I know you did, you always keep your promises." Jared's heart was thudding hard. He could see that Jensen was getting pale and had felt the sweat beading on his mate's forehead. He leaned down and pressed his lips to Jensen's. "Gonna check the wound now."

Straightening up, Jared glanced up at Misha and nodded, then leaned down and pulled the jacket back. "Hand me a towel, San." Jared waited until he had the clean towel ready and then pressed it back against the wound. His heart was racing. The wound was long and stretched from Jensen's side up to just below his nipple. Fortunately, it wasn't too deep but Jared had never seen so much blood. "Wow. Okay, we gotta stitch that up. I told everyone you wouldn't want to go to the hospital."

“No hospital,” Jensen agreed, half shaking his head. They couldn’t run the risk. Some pills were placed in his mouth and he swallowed them with water gratefully. “Good idea,” he told Jared, wanting his mate to know he was proud of the decision he’d made.

“Should I find some bandages for when you’re done?” Sandy asked, her voice barely registering in Jensen’s mind. “I sent Katie to the shower, told her I’d join her soon - she’s blaming herself.”

“No, no,” Jensen shook his head and slowly looked over at Sandy. “Not her fault. God.” He turned back to his mate and inhaled shakily. “Have I lost too much blood?”

"Honestly? I don't know. I think you're okay. You're a bit pale." Jared's hands were shaking when he turned to Sandy. "Yeah, one of those big triangle bandages you make a sling out of and a packet of gauze. Give me that then go and make sure Katie's okay and can you check on Christian and Chad?"

He didn't wait for Sandy's response but heard her quick footsteps as she headed over to find the bandages.

"Okay Mish, you ready? You stitching or applying pressure?"

"Pressure," Misha said softly. His fingers brushed over Jared's for a brief moment and Jared felt a flood of love for his friend. Misha knew how hard it was for Jared to hold it together.

"Alright. I can do this." Jared sucked in a breath of air. "How you doing, Jensen?" He hardly looked up when Sandy set the bandages by his side and then headed off quickly. He heard her thumping up the stairs and leaned back down to brush the backs of his fingers against Jensen's cheek.

“M’okay,” Jensen whispered, wishing the pain meds would kick in sooner, especially knowing what was about to happen. “Was just… tryin’ to save Chad.” Jensen laughed softly and turned to Jared, reaching out to grip his shirt. “Need to take a break?”

“I’m okay, really.” Jared leaned back down and kissed Jensen’s cheek. “I just need you to be okay. It’s hard to do this alone.” His words were just a whisper and he kissed Jensen’s cheek again before sitting back to stare into his mate’s eyes. Jensen’s pupils were dilating, a good sign - the meds were starting to kick in. “Chad’s fine, you know? You saved him.” Jared smiled, fingers still stroking over Jensen’s cheek.

Misha shifted closer. “Jared, we gotta stop this bleeding.”

Jared glanced up. “I know, just a minute.” He closed his eyes for a few moments, searching for the link that bound him to his mate. When he was satisfied, he looked back down at Jensen. “You kept your promise. You came back.”

“Course,” Jensen whispered and he could feel sleep curling in, already tugging him under. “Never gonna leave you,” he whispered and closed his eyes, breathing in slowly, and then finally lost himself to the pull of sleep tugging him under.

Jared had probably never done anything more difficult in his life. Each pop of the needle through Jensen's flesh made him cringe and by the time he'd finished he felt like he was going to be sick. Mercifully, Jensen had passed out just after Jared had started. Jared had no idea whether it was from pain or loss of blood - but he was thankful that all he had to listen to was the steady whoosh of Jensen's breath.

Somehow he and Misha managed to get the wound bandaged and Jared waited until Christian came back down to move Jensen to the couch. They lifted him gently and he moaned softly, though Jared was sure he was still asleep. As soon as he’d dispatched Misha for a warm blanket and some pillows Jared settled on the floor, fingers threaded tightly through Jensen's.

"Christian? How's Chad?" He smiled over at the older man, but Christian was still tense and his face was taut.   
“He woke a little bit, seemed pretty out of it. I gave him some pain meds and he’s sleeping again.” Christian sighed and took a seat on a nearby chair, shaking his head. “I shoulda kept a better eye on Chad, and then this never would have happened to Jensen.”

“C’mon, Christian- you know Jensen loves Chad like a brother. He’d never let anything happen to him.” Jared smiled, fingers squeezing his mate’s. “He’d never put himself before any of us. He’d be feeling like shit if you’d been hurt.”

Christian laughed hoarsely and nodded. “Yeah, I know. Doesn’t really make it easier. You want me to help get him upstairs or you gonna crash down here with him?”

“It’s okay. I’m staying here with him.” Jared returned his gaze to Jensen’s face. “He’s got more color now, I think he’s okay.” Sighing, Jared settled down against the side of the couch. “Are Katie and Sandy okay?” He kept his voice down; Misha had fallen asleep in the large arm chair by the window long ago.

“Last I checked, yeah. Both showered and changed and I think they’ve passed out. Sure you don’t want me to stay up with him for a while? You look exhausted.” Christian frowned softly, running a hand back through his hair.

Jared smiled and rested his head against his mate’s hip. “I’m gonna stay here. You know how it is. I won’t sleep much anyway.” His slid his arm over Jensen’s waist, careful to stay clear of the bandages. “You got ‘em all, Christian? No one will retaliate?”

“We got ‘em all.” Christian nodded and stood, frowning down at Jared. “You need anything before I go up to bed?”

“Nah, I’m good. Go give Chad some love. He talked to you yet?” Jared felt like he was worried for everyone and suddenly realized what Jensen must deal with sometimes, the weight of caring about people and feeling _responsible_. He only hoped that he could give the pack a little of what they needed while Jensen recovered.

“Not yet. I made him keep quiet when he woke last. He’s gonna be fine. He’ll have a wicked bruise that I’m sure he’ll be proud of but yeah, he’ll be fine.” Christian stepped closer and squeezed Jared’s shoulder. “You really held everyone together Jared, thanks. I know I got a little... well just, thanks for making me calm.”

“No problem, it’s what we do for each other, right?” Jared smiled and nestled closer to Jensen. “Go rest, I’ve got Misha down here if I need any help.”

“Try and get some sleep,” Christian said quietly before turning and leaving the room.

When Jensen woke up again he was on much softer ground and the pain wasn’t nearly as intense. He didn’t really want to move but something was clutched in his hand so he couldn’t help opening his eyes. Jared’s hand was curled against his and Jensen followed the length of his arm until he was staring down at Jared slumped against the side of the couch. Jensen’s lips twitched in a soft smile and he reached out with his free hand to gently brush hair back from Jared’s face.

“Nice to see you wake up,” Misha whispered. He shifted on the arm chair and winced as he rubbed his neck. “He’s only been asleep for about half an hour. Told him I’d watch over you.”

Jensen’s eyes lifted from his sleeping mate to Misha across the room and he smiled softly. “Not much to watch. S’not like I was gonna get up and run away,” Jensen said, voice gruff and hoarse with disuse. “He move even once?”

Misha shook his head. "Wouldn't leave your side. Said he had to be there in case you needed something." Misha's smile softened and he leaned forward to stretch out his back. "He loves you. He was terrified. Didn't show it, though."

“No, he wouldn’t,” Jensen turned his eyes down and smiled fondly down at his mate. “Gonna owe him a big massage.” He chuckled quietly then looked toward Misha, over at the door, then back at Misha. “How’s everyone else? Chad? All good?”

Jared squeezed Jensen’s hand gentle and yawned. “Chad’s okay, gonna have a sore throat,” he said softly.

Misha laughed quietly and stood. “I’ll get you some water, Jensen.”

Blinking sleepily, Jared turned his head slightly so he could see Jensen more clearly. “How you feelin’?”

“Little sore, worse for wear or whatever.” Jensen smiled softly and brushed his thumb over Jared’s forehead. “You should have gone and gotten some sleep Jay, you must be stiff all over.”

As he shrugged, Jared tried not to wince. “I’m fine. I wanted to be near you. Like _you_ would have gone to bed. Christian offered but I wanted him to rest. _God_ , the look on his face when he came through the door yesterday...” Jared shook his head.

“I can only imagine,” Jensen murmured and pushed up slightly, wincing at the flare of pain. “Just want to sit up.”

"You should probably take it easy. I'm not so sure how I did with the stitching thing." Groaning, Jared managed to struggle up to his feet and held out his arms. "Grab my forearms and I'll lift you by your elbows. Try not to strain your stomach muscles at all."

“I’m sure your stitches are just fine,” Jensen murmured but he did as Jared instructed, gripping his forearms tightly and inhaling sharply as his mate pulled him up to a sitting position. He swayed toward Jared’s body, arms loops around his middle, and smiled weakly up at him. “Don’t want the pack seeing me this weak.”

“You’re not weak. You’re injured. Huge difference.” Jared settled on the couch and slid closer to give Jensen his side to lean against. “More than anything they need to know that you’re gonna be okay and that you’re gonna let yourself get well. I already insisted that Christian rest so he can make sure that we’re well-protected. Sandy is making sure that Katie is okay -she was pretty shaken up.”

“He bossed us all around, Jensen. You should get better quickly,” Misha said with a laugh as he walked back in the room. Setting a glass of water in front of Jensen he slid the bottle of pain pills closer. “Can take more, haven’t had any since last night. I’m gonna shower.” Squeezing Jared’s shoulder he smiled at Jensen. “You are a lucky man, Jensen.”

“Don’t I know it,” Jensen mumbled and then reached out for the pain pills and the water. He didn’t try to talk again until he’d drained the entire glass and slumped back against Jared’s side. “Sounds like you’ve got everything under control then,” he finally muttered, arm sliding around Jared’s middle again. “We could go up to bed? You need rest, too.”

“I’m gonna need Christian’s help to get you upstairs. And I gotta make sure they’re okay. Chad’s pretty bruised up but you saved him from getting badly injured.” Jared smiled. “And, for the record? I don’t have everything under control. I’m... I was scared shitless. But everyone - they all looked at me and waited - like I was supposed to have answers or something.” Leaning his forehead against Jensen’s temple, Jared laughed softly.

“You were, or, you are.” Jensen hummed softly and rubbed at Jared’s side slowly. “If anything ever did happen to me, you’d inherit the pack. So they’re gonna look to you whenever I’m out of commission.” He yawned and considered lying back on the couch but what he really wanted was to lie in Jared’s arms. “I can walk up the stairs. I’m really feeling fine, you know.”

“I knew you were gonna be stubborn.” Jared shook his head and slid out of Jensen’s grasp so he could stand. “I’m helping you up. One bead of sweat breaks out on your forehead and you’re sitting on the steps and waiting while I get Christian. Hear me?”

“And they say _I’m_ the Alpha,” Jensen grumbled but he nodded and smiled softly as Jared eased him up. He allowed Jared to help him, mainly because the amount of pain he felt with each step seemed to increase and he was a little worried that he wouldn’t actually make it up the stairs. The first step nearly had him changing his mind but the idea of curling up with Jared in bed was too appealing to ignore. “I’m good,” he whispered when Jared stopped. “Just keep going.”

“You are not,” Jared muttered. He kept going only because he wasn’t entirely sure that Jensen would actually _wait_ for him if he went to get Christian. His hope was that getting Jensen settled in bed would mean he’d actually rest like he needed to.

“I’m fine, really,” Jensen protested, flinching when the next step up pulled at his chest and his body tensed. “Shit, this better heal by the full moon or I’m in for a load of pain.” Nothing had ever been more of a relief than reaching the top of the stairs and he slumped against Jared’s side, panting softly. “Bed.”

“You are _not_ moving again, Jensen.” Jared’s heart was thundering at the effort of trying to take most of Jensen’s weight. Negotiating their way down the hall carefully, Jared kicked his bedroom door open and moved them over to the bed. He could hear Jensen panting and knew that his mate must be in a tremendous amount of pain.

“Okay, sit down carefully.” Jared held onto Jensen’s arms to steady him as he sank down onto the mattress.

“I am so useless right now,” Jensen grumbled, hating the feeling of being unable to do anything. He should be acting as pack leader, going to check on Chad, making arrangements for the upcoming change. Instead, he needed his mate’s help to get under the covers and he felt like he’d just run for miles. “Jared,” he whispered, catching his mate’s hand before he could pull away. “Are you okay?”

Jared’s smile softened as he gazed down at his mate. “I’m better now. Tired. Is there other stuff I should be doing?” Jared ran his hand down Jensen’s chest. “I should get your jeans off before you get settled.” Sighing wearily, he stood again and tugged his mate’s jeans off. “Probably should clean you up a bit more, too.”

“Don’t worry about that. Just come get in bed. I’ll be fine staying dirty for a little while longer.” Jensen held out his arms giving Jared his best, most pleading puppy dog smile. “Gonna sleep a lot better if you’re here, too.”

Pressing his lips together, Jared scratched at his hair. It _would_ feel good to rest for a while. After just a moment of hesitation, Jared pulled his t-shirt off and shucked his jeans and then climbed into bed beside his mate. As carefully as he could he slid up to Jensen’s side. “Just a few minutes.”

“That’s all I ask,” Jensen murmured and wrapped his arm around Jared, nuzzling into the curve of his neck and shoulder. “Love you,” he whispered, pressing his lips to Jared’s skin and melting back against the comfortable mattress. It was certainly better than the couch.

Jared’s fingers slid up into Jensen’s hair and he stroked slowly, soothing his mate. “I love you too,” Jared murmured. Closing his eyes, Jared took a deep breath and relaxed a little. It couldn't hurt to sleep for just a little while.

“Just sayin’, going all the way back to the farm this close to the change is a stupid idea.” Katie’s voice was bordering just on the edge of annoyed and Jensen smiled even though they couldn’t see him yet.

The fifth or sixth time he’d woken up he knew he was too antsy to try and stay in bed any longer. Jared was not in the room, probably out of necessity alone because Jensen knew not a lot would keep him away from Jensen while he was still healing. So he’d tested himself, rolled up so he was sitting and made his way to the bathroom. When he didn’t feel like he was going to pass out from the exertion, he decided to venture downstairs and find his mate, and make sure the pack was still loyal to him after three or four days of being a bedroom recluse.

He’d stopped outside the kitchen though at the sound of heated words and now he listened, curious as to what his pack was trying to sort through.

“And _I’m_ saying that another change in this area is too risky. Especially after the vampires we just killed - you never know who might have noticed this sort of thing,” Christian argued back, his hand connecting too loud with the table.

“And so you want to just put Jensen’s life at risk? If we don’t move he’ll have two extra days to heal before the change. You know when Jared turns into his wolf form he’s going to be more than a little overprotective and worried about Jensen’s injuries. We won’t be able to control that, especially if the change harms Jensen even more.”

“Another reason why we should be back on familiar and safe ground. With Jensen’s parents there they can make sure nothing bad happens to Jensen or Jared.”

“What do you think, Jared? Wouldn’t you rather Jensen have the extra days to heal?” Katie asked in a quick rush of words, her irritation palpable.

Jared’s head was tilted slightly toward the door. He could _feel_ Jensen’s presence and smiled. “I’m pretty sure that Jensen would want what’s best for that pack. He’s strong. I’m sure, in fact, that he’s quite well enough to be standing right outside the door listening.” Jared folded his arms and grinned.

 _Busted_. Jensen couldn’t help laughing softly and he shook his head as he came into the room, holding up his hands. “I wasn’t spying long, I swear. Just wanted to see what was going on.”

“We’re debating the best place for the change. Considering your circumstances,” Sandy offered with a soft smile, pausing a moment before rising and crossing to him. “It’s good to see you up.” She wrapped her arms around him in a hug that made Jensen catch Jared’s eyes and smile.

“It’s good to be up and around.” Jensen released the girl as she stepped back, letting out a soft _oomph_ a moment later when Chad landed against his chest.

“I’m _so_ sorry. It’s all my fault. If I was paying more attention that vamp wouldn’t have cornered me and you wouldn’t have needed to save me.” Chad mumbled the words against Jensen’s shoulder as he hugged him far too tight to be comfortable.

“Hey, Chad, it’s okay.” Jensen folded his arms around the man, shaking his head slightly. “I should have been paying more attention, too. Let’s just agree to both work on that, yeah?”

“Yeah, okay.” Chad withdrew and nodded, rubbing at the dark purple blue bruise on his neck. “I would have apologized sooner but Jared said you wouldn’t want me to.”

“Well, there’s simply no need.” Jensen ruffled his hair before crossing the room to Jared, stepping in toward his already extended arm. “Besides knowing that I would want what’s best for the pack, you got an opinion on where the change should take place?” he asked his mate softly, sliding a hand up through his hair.

“I - me? Well, I think you’re well enough for a trip back to the ranch. But only if you promise to let Christian and Katie drive and we stop every hour for a walk. You need to keep moving. Chad’s fine - and antsy, and I think we’d all be more content if the change happened near your family.” Jared lifted his gaze and smiled at his mate. “If you approve.”

Jensen smiled down at Jared and nodded, looking up at the pack a moment later. “Jared’s right, being back home would be best. We all know how protective a mate can get over an injured wolf and Jared will likely be twice as intense as normal. So it’s settled then. Start getting things in order, we’ll leave tomorrow.”

“But Jensen-”

“Katie, I said it’s final. Go on now.” Jensen fixed the woman with stern eyes until she looked away and stood, walking out of the room without a word, Sandy following quickly after her. Sighing, Jensen pulled over a chair so he could sit beside Jared, leaning against his mate’s side. “She been out of sorts lately?”

“Yeah. I think… Well, she was shattered when you were injured. Sandy kind of held her together. I think maybe she had kind of thought you were invincible before that.” Jared blinked in surprise at his own words and pressed his lips together. “If you were asking me, I mean.”

“Course I was asking you. Christian would likely just write it off to PMS.” Jensen laughed softly, looking over at Christian who smirked and lifted his shoulder in a shrug.

“Do they still get that?” Chad asked, his eyes wide. “I mean, I sort of thought being a wolf a few nights of the month meant they didn’t have to deal with those, _you know_ , the monthly thing.”

Jensen choked on a laugh, flinching but hiding it from all but his mate. He shook his head and rubbed at his side. “Only you, Chad, would actually wonder that. Of course they do, they can have babies, remember? Now about Katie, I’ll have a talk with her. If she’s feeling off we all need to know. Lord knows feelings are ten times as strong during the change and I don’t want any fighting.” His hand settled on Jared’s thigh and he looked over at his mate. “How you doing?”

“I’m okay,” Jared answered quickly. The truth was that he was still a little rattled by the entire situation. Not only was Jensen getting wounded a real wakeup call but struggling to deal with the pack on his own was a bit exhausting. “Good, fine.”

“He’s tired,” Misha piped up as he rounded the corner. “Did I hear Katie muttering about you guys leaving soon?”

“Probably tomorrow, yeah,” Jensen said softly, his eyes still fixed on Jared. He could tell his mate was trying to be strong, trying to hold everything together, and Jensen felt the first wave of guilt that it had come to that. “You want to go get some sleep?” he asked quietly, stroking a hand up through Jared’s hair. “I can handle things for a while.”

“I’m good. I’ll stay with you if you’re gonna be up for a while.” Jared glared at Misha and took Jensen’s hand. “How you feeling?”

Misha glared back at Jared and spoke before Jensen could answer. “You know, Jared. He doesn’t expect you to do everything. Cut yourself a little slack.”

“Misha, it’s not your business.” Jared squared his shoulders when he looked over at his friend.

“Just because you’re _his_ now doesn’t mean you’re not still _my_ best friend. You’re tired. You’re not sleeping properly and even if _you’re_ not going to admit it, I can see that you were worried and shocked and... well.” Misha folded his arms and cocked his head slightly when his gaze drifted over to Jensen.

“Do you two need a minute?” Jensen eyed Misha and Jared for a long moment before turning back to his mate and cupping his jaw. “Go get some sleep, Jared. You’re tired, I can see it, too. Misha’s worried, you don’t want him to worry, right?” Truthfully, Jensen was worried about his mate as well, but not being part of things for three days made him feel out of sorts in many ways.

“Oh. What? You listen to him now?” Jared folded his arms across his chest and stared down at Jensen. “I’m only a little tired. I’ve been sleeping mostly, he just...” Jared sighed and leaned his forehead against Jensen’s.

He knew Misha was worried. Misha had been with him the entire night he’d watched over Jensen. Only a _real_ friend would fall asleep in that stupid old armchair; it wasn’t even comfortable.

“Jared, in a few days you’ll be going through the change again. You need your energy and rest. If it means I have to go and lay down with you then I will but you _need_ to sleep,” Jensen whispered, loosely wrapping his arm around Jared’s middle. “Come on, don’t make me worry about you, too.”

“You two are ganging up on me,” Jared muttered.

Misha shrugged and smiled down at his lap.

“Fine,” Jared said softly. “Come lay with me till I fall asleep?” He missed seeing Jensen. His mate had been sleeping a lot which was probably good, considering the healing he had to do.

“You sure you don’t want to lay with Misha?” Jensen asked with an arched eyebrow even as he stood.

“I still say his jealousy is worse,” Christian said to Chad, gesturing toward Jensen.

“You’re pretty bad,” Chad pointed out, grinning at Christian. “You get jealous of Jared.”

“Enough from the peanut gallery, thank you.” Jensen shot the two a look and turned to Jared again. “Bed?”

“You’re all jealous. Apparently, it’s a werewolf thing.” Misha laughed and leaned his elbows on the table. “Chad, bring your phone over here. I’m gonna put all my numbers in.”

Jared shook his head and pulled Jensen out of the kitchen.

Jensen was silent as they headed up the stairs and into the bedroom. He slipped out of his clothes down to his boxers, watching Jared do the same, then touching the bandage across his middle. “Must have felt weird to basically be in charge these last few days,” he murmured softly as he slipped under the blankets and waited for Jared to join him.

Crawling into the bed Jared flopped face down on the pillow and groaned into it. After a few moments he turned his face to look at Jensen and smiled. “I’m tired and I don’t like being responsible. And I don’t know how you do it.”

“I don’t know most of the time either,” Jensen muttered and scooted a little closer. It hadn’t occurred to him just how much he missed being with his mate until that moment, when they were laying side by side and he couldn’t recall the last time they’d kissed. “I’ve missed you,” he murmured and slid a little closer, wrapping an arm around Jared’s middle.

Jared's eyes widened. "I never left your side, honest. Well, I mean once or twice while you were sleeping."

“I know. I was sleeping, though. That’s only kind of being with you.” Jensen laughed softly and inched closer until he could kiss the corner of Jared’s mouth. “So it is weird to have missed you then?”

“No,” Jared said as a smile curled his lips. “I missed you, too.” He trailed a finger along the edge of the bandage. “But, you’re not gettin’ any if that’s why you’re up here.”

Jensen fell back and rolled his eyes, shaking his head with a quiet scoff. “Can’t just kiss you for a while? Jeez. It’s like you think I only have one thing in mind.” Alright, maybe he’d been hoping for a little something but of course Jared would have his wellbeing in mind.

Jared's arm slithered across his mate's chest. "I'm just worried. I don't want you to hurt yourself any more. And...I mean. I don't want to -" He cleared his throat and pressed his lips to Jensen's chest. "Why does everyone keep talkin' about me going weird during the change if you're hurt? What will I do?"

“Oh.” Jensen hadn’t thought he’d need to explain that thing to Jared for quite some time but he supposed he didn’t have much of a choice now. Sighing softly, his hand slid over Jared’s arm and he shrugged. “When you’re a wolf, your senses are stripped down, everything becomes more intense on a basic level, right? So, as mates, we’re bonded. When we change, your wolf will instantly be aware of my injury and you’re going to be very, very protective. To the point where you might not even allow the other pack members to get close. Especially since everything is so new for you.”

Propping himself up on his elbow, Jared stared down into Jensen’s eyes. “I wouldn’t hurt anyone. I mean, I love them all. Am I … should I be locked up or something?” Jared shuddered. The thought of hurting anyone in their pack made him feel a little ill.

“Wow, you’d rather be locked up?” Jensen’s eyes widened for a moment and he marveled at just how much the last three days had changed Jared. Before the injury, Jensen was confident that there was nothing Jared would do to keep from being with Jensen during the change. Now he was offering to be locked up and Jensen had to take a moment to adjust to that. “No. You’ll be fine. My parents will be there and the pack will likely know better than to come too close if you seem _off_.”

"You could take me away somewhere. Just you and me. We could...we could run and fight like we did last time. Well. Wait." Jared's hand smoothed over the bandages gently. "How are you really feeling?"

“I’m okay. Better than I was, definitely. We’ll try the first night at the house; for all we know I’ll be healed enough to be active. If it’s too much we’ll move during the day and take the second night somewhere else. Sound fair?” Jensen wasn’t used to putting quite this much thought into a change and it was making his head hurt. Or maybe he needed to eat something more than soup and crackers.

“Okay. I kinda like the idea of being alone with you.” Jared settled down against Jensen’s chest again, suddenly feeling heavy with exhaustion. “Thought I was gonna lose you,” he murmured sleepily. It finally seemed okay to say it, now that he was lying across Jensen’s warm body.

“Nah, you’re not getting rid of me so easily,” Jensen whispered, wrapping his arm around Jared and holding him close. “It’s all gonna be good, now.” Of course they still had to deal with the baby thing after the change, and Danneel would probably still be an issue because she wasn’t the type to give up, but for the most part Jensen thought things were going to be just fine. “So... not even a quick handjob?”

Sliding his hand down Jensen’s body, Jared wriggled forward so he could kiss his mate’s neck. “Let’s just see how still you can stay. You know, _experiment_.” Licking his lips, Jared slid down his mate’s body.

“Okay, okay, I’ve got it. I spy, with my little eye, something... green.”

“God, Chad, it’s a tree. How many fuckin’ times are you gonna choose a tree?” Christian groaned and let the heel of his palm fall hard on the steering wheel.

Chad pouted and shook his head. “It is not a tree. Or a bush. Or grass. I’m not that stupid.”

“Aw, it’s cute that he’s so naive,” Katie sighed wistfully, grinning when Jared looked back at her.

“I hate you all. More than I hate green beans and rice pudding.” Chad folded his arms over his chest, huffing quietly in annoyance.

“Is it a farmhouse?” Jared winced when Sandy slapped him. “What? I wanna play. I’m bored and Jensen won’t make out with me.” Grinning, Jared slid a little closer to the man.

“I’m supposed to be asleep,” Jensen muttered, his arm sliding tighter around Jared’s shoulder. “Y’all are bad for my napping.”

“I have never seen a green farmhouse, Jared. But thank you for having more faith in me than the rest of this cruel and bitchy crew.” Chad reached back to pat Jared’s knee, then stuck his tongue out at Katie.

“Christian’s shirt?” Sandy suggested and shrugged. “I didn’t see it this morning.”

“Maybe it’s Christian’s boxers. Chad would be the type to use that when none of us would know,” Katie suggested, her arm falling over Sandy’s shoulders.

“It’s my eyes,” Jensen grunted and shifted to settle against Jared’s side.

“Yeah,” Chad whispered in hush surprise. “How did you know that?”

“I’m magic. Tell ‘em, Jared.” Jensen wasn’t going to get any sleep _at all_.

“Chad? Jensen’s magic.” Jared laughed and slung his leg over Jensen’s lap so he could press up against his side. After everything they’d been through it was nice to hear the familiar banter in the van. Jared had missed it. “I love you,” he whispered against Jensen’s ear.

Jensen hummed, gladly tuning out the crazy conversation in the van for the sound of his mate, instead. “I love you too,” he whispered back and pressed closer, sinking against his mate and trying to ease himself into sleep.

“Okay, I spy-”

“Chad, shut up,” Katie and Sandy groaned in unison, causing the van to fill with laughter a moment later.


	7. Chapter 7

 

If Jared had thought he would be more prepared for his first unaided change - he was wrong.

What he knew - or - what he thought he knew was that they were all standing outside. The moon was full and Jensen was right; Jared could _feel_ the moon. It was a cold silver light, liquid and slick in his blood stream.

And then everything changed. He was panting and his senses were assaulted by the smell of the damp earth, the dewy grass - his _mate._

His mate was in pain and a fierce energy ripped through Jared’s body. Lurching up onto his paws, Jared swayed for a few moments - his eyes narrowing and he felt a ripple of fear that made his hackles rise.

Growling low in his throat, Jared padded over to Jensen. Familiar green eyes blinked up at him and Jared nosed along Jensen’s fur.

His mate smelled strange. _Hurt_ , and a lingering strong pain radiated from Jensen. Jared sniffed at the wound on his mate’s side suspiciously. He thought he should know what it was - but all he could feel was that he needed to protect Jensen.

Whining softly, he dropped to his haunches and lapped delicately at the healing cut below Jensen’s fur.

A shifting sound behind Jared had his ears tilting forward and his teeth bared. Growling, Jared whipped his head to the side and stared down ice blue lupine eyes. _Chad_. Chad shouldn’t be a threat but Jensen needed to be protected.

A snarl had Jared snapping his head toward another wolf - darker, greying around the muzzle. He was broad and stood his ground.

Snapping at the air between the rest of the pack and his mate, Jared stepped in front of Jensen and dropped his head lower, threatening, spine tightening with the potential to spring.

He knew them all but it was impossible to fight the urge to protect his mate. He let out a warning bark and his ears went back as he turned to stretch across his mate’s body protectively.

The change had taken more out of Jensen than he’d thought. He’d felt the burn of pain the moment his body began to change, stitches popping and blood once more rising. By the time he was in his wolf form he felt weak and worn, hardly able to keep Jared from reacting to the presence of others.

He could see his father just beyond his growling mate and Jensen whined softly, nose pressing along Jared’s side in some attempt to work him out of the fierce fighting position he was currently holding. When Jared continued to growl Jensen barked and pressed his whole head into Jared’s side.

Jared could feel the urgency of his mate's worry, the way Jensen was nudging at him, pressing Jared. _Worry_. Shaking his head, Jared turned slightly to lap at the corner of Jensen's mouth, as close as he could come to telling his mate that he would take care of him. Widening his stance, Jared wriggled back slightly and snarled again, barring the way to Jensen. He'd fight to the death to keep his mate safe. The sound of his teeth snapping again broke the tentative silence and the pack began to circle.

Alan inched his way closer, his teeth bared just as much as Jensen knew Jared’s must be. He hadn’t wanted it to come to something like this but he wasn’t able to snap Jared out of his desire to protect so his father had to take charge. Jensen watched the members of their pack moving slowly, searching for the right way to calm the situation.

Then all at once, Alan bounced forward, mouth covering Jared’s neck and paws pinning the young wolf easily to the ground. He growled deeply, pressing harder when Jared struggled up against him. Jensen whined and struggled to climb up to his feet and his mom was instantly there, nosing along his fur with worried whines.

Snarling and twisting violently, Jared could feel his heart racing. He twisted and pulled but wasn't able to escape the tight hold on his neck. Fangs, tight and controlled pinned him there, his muzzle pressed against the damp earth. The dirt was itching his nose and Jared snorted as he made a last feeble attempt to press up off the ground.

 _Alan_. It was Jensen's father. As Jared's heart continued to race he panted slowly and the familiar scent began to register deep in his mind, pricking at his instincts. _Alan_ , just like his mate - the scent of Jensen, his mother, the pack. Snorting again, Jared relaxed and blinked up at the greying fur near his snout. He whined softly, and settled back against the dirt - tongue falling out of his mouth as he panted.

Jensen finally got himself up on all fours and nudged his mom out of the way, half limping over to Jared and his dad, who still had him pinned down. He could tell already that Jared had submitted and that there wouldn’t be any more issues but his father still held his mate down and Jensen thought it was a little excessive. Maybe his dad wanted to establish his own right as clan leader, what with Jared being so new and young.

Growling softly, Jensen bumped his head hard into his dad’s side and the wolf almost immediately relented. As he moved back, Jensen curled against Jared’s side, dropping down in relief on the ground and panting softly. He whined as he laid his head on Jared’s flank, hoping the wolf wouldn’t be too annoyed at his father’s display.

Paws scrabbling at the soft earth, Jared managed to right himself. Still panting, he turned into Jensen's muzzle and licked at his mouth. _His_ mate. They could stop him from growling all they wanted but Jensen was his. Looking up defiantly, Jared growled slightly then sneezed more dirt out of his nose. Chad yipped and circled happily around Christian but Jared just tucked his nose under Jensen's paw so he could try and ignore the other young wolf.

Jensen would need some time to adjust, and hopefully heal more before he could play the way Chad was now encouraging, running over to them and stretching his arms out, bowing toward Jared and Jensen and wiggling his ass up in the air. If Jensen could roll his eyes in wolf form he would.

Katie and Sandy were much more subdued, running off for a few hours then coming back and resting beside them, but not close enough to upset Jared again. Jensen kept thinking that the pain would ease but it was only more intense in his wolf form and he wiggled closer to Jared, whining softly and huffing the air out in a pained rush.

Circling his mate a few times, Jared finally settled down behind him. Curling his warm body around his mate's, he lapped at Jensen's wound, soothing it and trying to take away the pain. The pain that was radiating from Jensen was like a dull throbbing ache in Jared's mind and he shook his head a few times trying to clear it. Whining softly, he lifted his muzzle and peered over at Jensen's mother.

She was beautiful in her wolf form. Her fur was dark blue-black just like her hair and Jared was reminded of his first meeting with her so many years before. Tilting his head, he nosed at Jensen's paw and then looked back up at the female Alpha.

Jensen’s mom seemed to take Jared’s couple of looks as permission to approach and she walked carefully to Jensen’s side, dipping down to nose along Jensen’s freshly opened wound. Jensen lifted his head to look back at her and their noses touched in a gesture of affection for a moment before Jensen twisted his head back toJared.

He licked along Jared’s muzzle, cleaning off some of the dirt that lingered from before. Between his mother’s gentle cleanse of his wound and Jared’s constantly pressing reassurance, Jensen was beginning to feel better, though it still wasn’t enough motivation to join Chad when the young wolf returned and butted his head against Jared’s and then Jensen’s, whining impatiently.

Yipping sharply at Chad, Jared shook his head from side to side. The thick mane of fur behind his ears was heavy with winter coat. Crawling closer on his belly, Jared lay his muzzle down on his paws and listened to the soft licking sounds and Jensen’s steady panting. Turning slightly, he glanced over at Chad. As usual, Chad had more energy than anyone else put together and Jared’s tail thumped softly on the ground.

Jensen groaned low in his throat when Chad bounced closer again; he was in no mood to put up with the young wolf’s endless energy. His gaze drifted over to Christian and he jerked his head toward his mate, a silent request for help. Out of nowhere Christian lunged forward, tackling Chad and the two rolled in a wrestle together, flipping through the grass.

Jensen settled back again his mate, watching the two members of the pack roll and play fight. He knew Jared would normally have just as much energy and he wondered if his mate had the urge to run just as much. He hoped his change the night following would be better so that Jared could have some fun. And he told his mate as much as he could with the gentle nuzzle of his head and the lap of his tongue.

Huffing out a small breath, Jared rested his muzzle across the back of Jensen's neck and watched Chad and Christian. Their fur glistened in the moonlight and he could hear Chad's soft, playful growl. Everything was sharper with his wolf vision, the moon brighter and Jared could see much further. There were other eyes glinting in the yard, other family members but he knew they'd come no closer.

A moth flapped across Jared's line of sight and he snapped at it, then spat it out in surprise when he actually caught it. Nudging it off of his mate's fur with his nose, Jared peered down at it. Shaking his head again he growled softly when Chad rolled a little too close to Jensen. Standing, Jared stepped over Jensen's back and stood there, panting softly, guarding his mate.

When Chad straightened up he lunged toward Jared, thinking the wolf was finally willing to play. But he skid back quickly when Jared growled and snapped at him. Christian was instantly pushing forward, sliding in front of Chad and barring his teeth at Jared, his ears tucking back with tense anger.

Jensen slowly shifted beneath Jared. He would gladly lunge forward and fight Christian if the wolf got close enough to attack Jared. Things were tense for just a moment before Alan walked between them, effectively calming the tension. Jensen lifted his head, nuzzling along the underside of Jared’s coat to try and settle his mate.

Jared stood his ground, paws shuffling only a moment on the earth near his mate before he lowered his nose to the ground. Sniffing around his mate, he turned around twice and curled up at Jensen's side, nudging his nose under Jensen's jaw. He wanted to run, feel the wind in his fur, but he would _never_ leave Jensen and was content to stay by his side.

A soft, content little whine left Jensen’s lips and he found himself dozing slightly. The change back to human form come sunrise was going to hurt just as bad and Jensen wasn’t looking forward to it. But he knew Jared would stick by him through it so that made it all okay.

The nice thing about changing at his parents’ home was the ability to be indoors come sunrise. In Jensen’s case, he’d never been more grateful for it. There was a room specially designed for the morning with individually divided sections for each couple - his parent’s nice way of allowing privacy. Normally the change back wasn’t horrible, sometimes Jensen even slept through it.

That wasn’t the case with this change.

The moment he was in human form a sharp cry of agony fell from his lips and he slumped back on the carpet, hand instantly coming to press over the stretched and twisted wound. He’d known it was going to hurt, he was bracing himself for it, but the sudden flare of it was almost too much.

Jared was moving before he was completely awake. Jensen's cry was one of the few sounds that would cut through Jared's slumber like a knife through butter. Rolling toward his mate, he stopped _just_ in time. Blood was trickling down Jensen's side, the wound torn open in spots. "Jensen, hang on."

Nearly falling out of their compartment, Jared snatched up one of the robes that was hanging on the wall and darted across the room for the supplies they'd left there in case the wound was bad. Gathering up butterfly sutures and some cleaning supplies he was back at Jensen's side in a matter of seconds. "Hold on, I'm just gonna set this down."

Everything fell to the futon mattress and Jared picked up a small vile of pain medication. Stroking Jensen's clammy cheek he pulled up some of the amber liquid into an eye dropper. "Open your mouth; this is a strong pain killer."

“Jesus,” Jensen groaned, lips parting to drink down the medicine. The intensity had dulled slightly, now that the change was through, but it still burned and he was relieved that they’d thought ahead.

“Jared? Need any help?” Donna was there within moments, offering out a blanket and frowning with concern. “Is it bad?”

Relief settled Jared's frayed nerves a little. At least this time, he would have some help. Glancing over at Donna he smiled slightly as he stroked Jensen's hair. "Just gave him the medicine, gonna give it a minute to work then I'll clean the wound out. Do you think these will hold it closed?" He gestured to the small bandages and blinked wide-eyed and rattled up at Donna.

“Yeah I think those will do just fine.” Donna smiled encouragingly down at Jared and passed a hand through his hair before moving around to tuck as much of the blanket as she could over Jensen. “How you feelin’, baby?”

Jensen chuckled hoarsely and blinked over at his mom. “Like I’ll never take on a coven of vampires again?”

“Good,” Donna scoffed and shook her head. “You kids are always so foolish, running in like you think you’re invincible. You’re lucky Jared was there to patch you up. At least I know someone is out there to look after my boy.” Donna smiled over at Jared, reaching out to squeeze his arm.

Jared's smile widened for a moment and he looked back down at Jensen's wound as he started dabbing at it as gently as he could. "Just gotta clean it up Jensen, then I'll bandage it and get you something warm to drink. Okay?"

Glancing up, Jared caught his mate’s gaze and smiled softly.

“Worse change ever,” Jensen muttered, rubbing at his brow in annoyance. The medicine was just barely beginning to kick in and Jensen couldn’t wait to feel numb.

“Remember when you were seventeen and broke your arm?” Christian’s voice was soft and amused, coming from the doorway of the usually secluded area. “God, Jared, you should have heard the way he bitched after that.”

“My _arm_ was broken. Do you have any idea what it feels like to be a werewolf with a broken bone? God, the pain was so bad I blacked out,” Jensen mumbled, shaking his head and half glaring at his friend.

“You did bitch a fair bit, Jensen,” Donna said softly.

“Mom!” Jensen scowled at her, rolling his eyes when she shrugged innocently. His gaze drifted to his mate and he reached out to him. “I know you would have taken care of me and not made fun of me.”

Smirking, Jared nodded with mock sincerity. “Absolutely I would have, Jensen.” To be honest, he was glad to have company. The distraction of conversation, the gentle teasing was keeping Jensen relaxed while Jared cleaned out the wound. Moving as quickly as he could he nodded subtly to Donna and pressed his hands to either side of the wound to hold it together while Donna press the small bandages over it.

“I don’t believe you for a second,” Jensen mumbled, his voice was quiet, growing sleepy as the medicine kicked the rest of the way in. “You say it, but... probably would have made fun of me. With Christian. I know it.” Jensen laughed softly, reaching out for his mate.

“Oh great, drugged Jensen, that’s always amusing,” Christian laughed softly, pushing off the wall and reaching out to pat Jared’s head. “Let me know if you need anything.”

Laughing softly, Jared gazed down at his mate's rather droopy eyelids. "I would have taken your pain _very_ seriously, Jensen. I'm always serious when it comes to you." Shaking his head at the bemused expression on Jensen's face, Jared turned back to the wound. Donna's delicate fingers were just reaching the end of the wound and it looked as though it would heal nicely. “Thanks Donna,” he whispered.

“Of course. You want to just get some sleep down here or would you like Alan to help get Jensen upstairs to the bedroom?” Donna stroked a hand through Jensen’s hair soothingly.

“I think we’re okay down here, he’s comfortable. I don’t want to move him until later.” Jared slid back under the covers and smiled when Jensen nestled up against him. “I’ll keep an eye on him,” Jared said softly.

“Okay, you let us know if you need anything at all.” Donna smiled softly at him and nodded before heading out of the compartment, tugging the cover closed to give them more privacy.

Jensen hummed softly and turned into Jared, eyes fluttering open and closed slowly. “Long night,” he mumbled, pressing a sloppy kiss to Jared’s cheek.

Laughter was a welcomed feeling for Jared. He felt so at home at the family ranch; they were given their space but there was help around should they need it. It really was the best of both worlds. “It was a long night, I … I was growly.”

The memories Jared had of the night before were wispy and a bit vague. Jensen had said that would get better with each change. What he could remember clearly was feeling like he needed to take care of Jensen.

“You were. My little savior.” Jensen laughed sleepily and tilted forward, pressing his lips over Jared’s. He moaned weakly into the kiss and ran his hands down Jared’s bare body. “Always feels good. I mean, usually. This, after the change. Us.” He was pretty sure he wasn’t making much sense but maybe Jared would get it anyway.

"I think you might be stoned." Jared laughed quietly and slid his arm under Jensen's head to pull him closer. The look of pain had all but disappeared from Jensen's face. Now, his cheeks were flushed, his pupils dilated and he looked ... stoned.

“I’m offended,” Jensen scoffed, though there was still a smile on his face. “You don’t feel it? The, this. Us. After the change. It’s like…I can read your mind.” Jensen pressed his forehead to Jared’s, humming softly. “I miss fucking you.”

"Oh, God yes. I miss it, too. And Jensen?" Jared's fingers curled over Jensen's ribcage. "I feel it. I started to feel it a few days ago - like the moon was...inside me. Running through me somehow. And you. I could feel you more than ever." Closing his eyes, Jared breathed in the warmth of their shared breath.

“Yeah.” Jensen pressed against Jared, intent on getting as close as possible. His mind felt all fuzzy but the pain was gone and Jared’s skin felt like little sparks. “You feel really good,” he whispered, hands ghosting over Jared’s skin. He laughed softly and ducked his head down to press his lips along the curve of Jared’s neck, over his collar bone.

“You just remember you’re wounded.” It had been a long week. Stressed and worried, Jared hadn’t had nearly enough sleep and he hadn't been entirely aware of how much he liked having sex until he _wasn’t_. Combined with the lingering _wolf_ in him, the call of the moon that was still rippling through his body, Jared was going a little out of his mind.

“Not that wounded,” Jensen mumbled, smiling against the pulse he felt in Jared’s neck. Sure he was a little drugged at the moment and so everything was more intensified and a lot less painful but he thought he could handle feeling more. “Tired of being broken,” Jensen sighed and pressed his leg forward until it fell between Jared’s.

Jared caught his own bottom lip under his teeth and bit down hard. “Jensen, be careful. You …” Jared’s lashes fluttered closed as Jensen’s knee pressed against him. “You should get some rest.” His fingers curled over his mate’s neck and rubbed gently.

“You don’t mean that,” Jensen whispered and flattened his palms on Jared’s body, roaming wherever he could. He knew he was teasing his mate, pushing him into allowing something more to happen but he couldn’t help it. All this time without touching Jared, feeling their bodies pressed together, it felt like a lifetime though he was sure it hadn’t been quite that long.

“Jensen.” Jared’s body was tingling with sensation. He remembered their first morning together after a change - the morning Jared had awakened with a fresh bite mark on his neck. His hands fell forward and pressed against Jensen’s chest. “Don’t hurt yourself, please-” Jared moaned, but he really had no idea what he was asking for. “What if your mama comes to check on you,” he whispered.

Jensen deflated back onto the mattress and blinked a few times at his mate. “It used to be a lot easier to get you to fool around with me,” he grumbled, shifting to see if he could actually shake the swell of desire built up in him. He let his knee gently rock up against Jared’s balls one final time before pulling back. “You should be stoned, too.”

Letting out a small moan, Jared panted softly for a few moments. His fingers had fallen still on the smooth skin of Jensen's hip. "It's worse for _me_ , y'know."

“Mmhmm, when I’m practically throwing myself at you,” Jensen huffed and rolled onto his side, faint dreamy smile twitching on his lips. “Coulda had it all but you had to be all careful and shit.”

"Now you're just bein' pissy," Jared muttered. Leaning down, he flicked his tongue over his mate's ear. "At least I got you off the other day. _I've_ just been suffering silently." Jared slid his hand over Jensen's chest, palm settling over his mate's nipple.

“‘Cause you won’t let me do anything. Not like I don’t want to,” Jensen mumbled and dragged Jared’s arm over his chest, scooting back until he could rock against Jared’s obvious arousal. “Seems like you want me plenty. So, you should stop being so protective.” Jensen knew he’d be the same if the tables were turned but he couldn’t seem to help his behavior now.

All the breath left Jared's lungs in a tight hiss against the nape of Jensen's neck. All the warmth of Jensen's body, the hard muscle, the soft skin - it was all a little overwhelming. He couldn’t _wait_ until Jensen was healed and they could change together and run for hours, and then whittle away the morning hours touching each other.

Mouthing the back of his mate's neck gently, Jared circled his hips so he could have just a little friction on his aching shaft. It was too tempting even though he knew it would just make him _want_ Jensen even more. His lips moved on Jensen's neck. "I think about you fucking me. I had to... I had to touch myself in the shower the other morning." A small moan escaped his lips and Jared bit down on Jensen's shoulder.

“Don’t,” Jensen half gasped, torn between something possessive and dark, thinking about Jared getting himself off. He rolled in one quick motion, not feeling any pain if there was any. Instead, he simply felt his cock sliding against Jared’s and he moaned softly, rocking up against Jared. “I should touch you. I should get you off. Makes me feel like a failure,” he muttered and slipped his hand down between them, stroking over Jared’s cock with firm, swift strokes.

Sucking in a breath, Jared moaned out a long, "No." As soon as Jensen's medication wore off he was going to hurt, and if he split open his side again it wouldn't have any time at all to heal before he changed. "God, I can't - this is-" Shoving at Jensen's hand, Jared pressed up hard against his mate, his arms a steel band around Jensen's chest and arms.

Jensen squirmed in Jared’s tight grasp, rocking his hips up against Jared’s almost desperately. It was harder to get the friction he wanted like this but if he had to fight Jared on this he would. Until Jared just gave in because really, his pride wasn’t _that_ strong. “Jared,” Jensen groaned and blinked his eyes open to peer at his mate. “Gonna make me work for it, huh?”

"No, _God_. Jensen," Jared's voice wavered. He was torn. If Jensen kept struggling he would pull at the bandages, but Jared's body ached for him. Absolutely _ached_ for him. "Okay, okay, just..." His fingers slid up into Jensen's hair and he gazed into the glassy green of his mate's eyes. “Just stop, you’re gonna hurt yourself. I’ll... just wait.”

Smoothing his fingers over Jensen’s cheek, Jared panted softly against the man’s cheek. “Just...” Squeezing his eyes shut for a few moments he rolled over, pressing his ass back against Jensen’s body. A roll of muscles pressed his closer still and lust ripped through him like wildfire.

A low moan fell from Jensen and he wrapped his arm around Jared’s middle, instantly sliding his hand down to grip his cock and stroke with the slow roll of his hips forward. “I’m fine, Jared,” he murmured into his mate’s shoulder, sucking an open-mouthed kiss over his skin. Maybe it was the meds but Jensen really was feeling better and he needed this.

He knew just how to stroke Jared to make him weak so he twisted his wrist and rolled his body forward, trying to work Jared into such a state of pleasure that he would stop protesting.

Quiet pleas filled the small space and it took Jared a while to realize he was making the sounds. He kept saying _no_ , whispering it, moaning it and yet he couldn’t stop himself from rolling his hips back against his mate's cock. There was nothing in his world but Jensen, the heat of their bodies mingling and he was sure he could feel their hearts beating at the same time.

Like this, Jensen could imagine being buried in Jared - it would be so easy - and the fact that it had been much too long in his opinion since this happened last had him reaching his peak far too soon. He squeezed along Jared’s cock, stroking him faster, and half snorting into his skin when Jared groaned ‘ _no_ ’ almost too loud.

His hips jerked against Jared’s, his cock sliding deliciously between Jared’s ass as his orgasm flared through him. He moaned his lover’s name into the curve of the man’s shoulder and the fuzziness in his brain kicked up a notch.

The feel and scent of Jensen's come tilted Jared right over the edge. With a single shudder, Jared came hard. Every muscle in his body tightened and his hips jolted to send his cock sliding through Jensen's grip. He bit down on his arm as he realized that he was moaning too loudly - his body jerking as come pulsed from his swollen cock.

Jensen didn’t feel like moving outside of releasing Jared and letting his hand rest low on Jared’s belly. He felt more pleasantly relaxed than he had been before and his lips pressed lazily over Jared’s skin. “See? Wasn’t so bad?” he mumbled sleepily, soft smile on his lips.

Shivering slightly as the last of his pleasure swept through his body. Jared smiled and leaned back. "God, you're crazy," he murmured. He groaned and reached down for one of the towels he'd brought over earlier and cleaned himself up as best he could, then turned to face his mate. There was a decidedly self-satisfied smile on Jensen's face and it made Jared laugh softly.

"Crazy," he muttered as he wiped Jensen's belly.

“Without me you’d still be horny and I’d be stoned and passed out. Now you’re sexually relieved, I’m stoned and ready to pass out. Win win.” Jensen grinned and dipped forward for a kiss. “If I’m sore later you can blame it all on me.”

Laughing louder, Jared tossed the towel to the side and slanted his mouth over Jensen’s. He kissed him hard, making sure that Jensen _knew_ how much Jared loved him.

“Was she nervous?” Jensen paced across the room, stopping to look at Katie then turning and pacing back. “Did she feel sick?”

“A little but not nearly as much as you’re making me feel. God, Jensen, sit down,” Katie groaned and dropped her leg to the ground.

Jensen would think she was handling this better than him but the way her heel bounced on the ground suggested just how much she wished to be in the back room with the doctor and her mate. “I don’t see why we couldn’t have just waited for the change. If she didn’t change we’d know for sure.”

“Because the doctor advised two weeks. Jesus Christ, Jensen, you’re driving me crazy. Jared? Can’t you do anything with him?” Katie shot Jensen a glare and then looked pleadingly over at Jared.

Jared sighed and patted the chair beside him. "Jensen, come and sit down and stop asking Katie questions." Jensen had been a wreck ever since the procedure was done and now the entire pack was a little on edge. When Jensen kept pacing, Jared said his mate's name a little firmer. "Jensen, I will tie you to the chair."

Sighing in annoyance and resignation, Jensen turned and took the seat beside Jared, shooting him half a glare. “Tying me to the chair will only result in a broken chair,” he pointed out and bit at his cuticles.

“Jensen, she’s fine. I would know.” Katie shot Jensen another look before turning back to the door so she could stare impatiently. “How long does it take to pee on a stick?” Jensen grunted, shaking his head in disapproval.

Laughter escaped Jared's lips before he could stop it. It was the entire situation. Just like the beginning of a really bad joke; _Four werewolves go into fertility clinic but only one pees on a stick_. His laughter earned him a dark scowl from his mate and Jared tried not to smile. "C'mon, you seriously can't say that you don't see a little bit of humor in this."

“Oh yeah, it’s really freaking hilarious,” Jensen muttered and shook his head. He couldn’t blame his mate for trying to lighten the mood - that was one of those things Jared did when things got too serious. “Why is it taking so long? Katie, you sure she’s okay?”

“Yes, I can sense-”

She cut off sharply as the door opened and Sandy followed a nurse out, nodding at the woman and taking the offered paperwork. Jensen was nearly holding his breath and he stood as Sandy turned to walk to them. He reached out to grasp Jared’s shoulder, something to brace himself.

“Well?” he asked when she didn’t instantly give an indication.

“I’m pregnant,” Sandy said softly and shrugged, a slow smile tugging at her lips.

Katie was up off of her chair a moment later, crossing to Sandy and scooped her up in her arms. Jensen wasn’t sure how to react, really. He was happy that Sandy was pregnant but now he couldn’t really move and he squeezed Jared’s shoulder harder.

Jared laughed again, the sound bright and loud in the waiting room. “Jensen! She’s pregnant!” Another couple waiting across the other side of the room laughed softly and Jared leaned across to kiss his mate’s cheek.

As soon as Katie gave him the slightest opportunity Jared snatched Sandy up off the ground and spun her around. He pressed a big wet kiss to her cheek and laughed again when she started to giggle.

“Don’t shake up the baby,” Sandy protested with a louder laugh and patted Jared’s chest. The next moment she turned to Jensen, nervous smile on her lips. “Come give me a hug, Daddy.”

Jensen groaned and stood. “Don’t call me that. It’s just weird.” He smiled though, and stepped toward Sandy, wrapping her up in a hug and pulling her close. It was odd to think about the woman carrying his baby, shouldering this burden and being pleased about it. “How are you feeling? Do you need anything?”

Sandy laughed, head tipping back as she stepped toward her mate once more. “Oh he’s going to be a lot of fun. You just remember that offer when the cravings start.”

The girls headed for the door, chattering loudly about baby clothes, setting up a nursery, a whole slew of things Jensen wasn’t prepared for just yet. He turned to Jared with slightly wide eyes and shook his head. “This is crazy. I can’t believe we’re doing this.”

Jared was still smiling but his expression softened when he looked over at his mate. " _You_ are going to be a great father. And seriously, can you think of a baby that will be more loved? Chad's gonna play with it so much, Christian will ... _God_ , if we...uh, if you have a girl she's never going to be able to date."

Rubbing the back of his neck, Jared stepped a bit closer to Jensen and shrugged. "Crazy. A little."

“We.” Jensen looked up at Jared and grasped his hand, squeezing tightly. “Definitely _we_ in this situation. You’re Daddy Jared. And there’s Mommy Sandy and Mommy Katie and Uncles Chad and Christian. It’s like, the fucked up version of Barbie.” Jensen laughed as he pulled Jared toward the door. “Let’s go stop those girls before they buy out Babies R Us.”

“There’s a Babies R Us?” Jared let himself be pulled along and started laughing again.

“Imagine Toys R Us but with baby clothes and a lot of pregnant women. I’ve heard it’s a life-changing experience.” Jensen grinned and stopped just outside the door, tugging Jared toward him and kissing him deeply. “So, you gonna be Daddy Jared?” He murmured against his mate’s lips, arm wrapping loose around his middle.

A little nervous tingle mingled with pleasure and spread up Jared's spine. When he pulled away from the kiss his eyes widened. "Wow, yeah. I guess I am. Yeah." Smile broadening, Jared draped his arms over Jensen's shoulder. "Hey, when the baby's born does it - _Oh my God_ \- is it gonna be a wolf puppy?"

Jensen laughed and nodded. “Neither the mom nor the baby change for the first year but from then on, yes. Oh shit, imagine Chad with an actual puppy to play with? Changes are going to be _exhausting_. Why did we do this?” Jensen melted against Jared’s chest but he was grinning still and he was surprisingly starting to feel _good_ about the entire thing. “I love you,” he murmured and tilted up to kiss Jared once more.

Jared kissed his mate's forehead. "Let's go buy little tiny cowboy boots."

Groaning, Jensen let Jared pull him toward Katie, Sandy and the van and shook his head. “We are never stepping foot in Babies R Us.”


End file.
